This is the manuscript of the third sermon in the "7 Deadly Sins" series.
There is no list of seven deadly sins in the Bible because the Bible says that all sins are deadly.
Romans 3:23 NIV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rather than specific sins this is a list of categories of sin. Every sin that a person commits fits one of these categories which are inward attitudes that affect character and conduct. Although these sins are never listed together in any single passage, they are continually condemned in Scripture.
Pride
Anger (Wrath)
Envy (Jealousy)
Impurity (Lust)
Gluttony (Lack of Self-Restraint)
Slothfulness (Laziness)
Avarice (Greed)
Scripture
1 John 2:15-25 NIV Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.
Introduction
Today we are going to talk about lust which is the fourth of the 7 deadly sins in the list compiled by Pope Gregory I in about 600 AD.
As a reminder rather than specific sins this is a list of categories of sin. Every sin that a person commits fits one of these categories which are inward attitudes that affect character and conduct. Although these sins are never listed together in any single passage, they are continually condemned in Scripture.
There is no list of seven deadly sins in the Bible because the Bible says that all sins are deadly.
Romans 3:23 NIV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The entire list is
Pride
Anger (Wrath)
Envy (Jealousy)
Impurity (Lust)
Gluttony (Lack of Self-Restraint)
Slothfulness (Laziness)
Avarice (Greed)
Three weeks ago we talked about pride which, I believe, is the beginning of all sin, two weeks ago we talked about anger which if not controlled is a sign of weakness, that can lead to personal harm, rob you of self-esteem, can impair your thinking or attitudes, and can lead to evil actions. Last week we discussed envy or jealousy which expresses itself as a covetous feeling toward another person’s attributes, possessions, or stature in life.
As I said before, today we are going to talk about lust and are going to see aspects of the first three deadly sin categories in this one as we talk about it today. What we are really beginning to see is that beginning with pride each of these sinful attitudes bleed into each other.
Text
1 John 2:16 NIV For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
When we think of lust, we most often think of immorality or sexual sins. Premarital and extramarital sex, prostitution, pornography, pedophilia, incest, and rape are all sins that may be classified as impurity or lust but the sin category of lust is much more. Yes, lust can lead to sexual sin, but I want us to think of lust as defined in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. A strong desire, a craving, abnormal appetite, not only for physical but for spiritual satisfaction.
Our text again is
1 John 2:16 NIV For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
The word “lust” in our text: means: longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure; evil propensity; depraved affections and desires.
The Bible reveals that since the beginning of creation, the temptation to sin will always come in 3 basic categories: These 3 categories are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
For example, when Eve was tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, she was tempted in these 3 categories.
Genesis 3:6 NIV When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh) and pleasing to the eye (lust of the eye), and also desirable for gaining wisdom (pride of life), she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
In a similar way, during the temptation of Jesus Christ, which we find in Luke 4:1-12, and Matthew 4:1-11, Satan, the devil, tempted Jesus by using the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
The first temptation Jesus faced was the lust of the flesh.
Luke 4:3 NIV The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
While Christ was fasting, the devil tempted Him to relieve His hunger and satisfy His flesh.
The second temptation Jesus faced was the lust of the eyes.
Luke 4:5-7 NIV The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
In this temptation the devil showed Jesus the “kingdoms of the world” in an effort to get Christ to worship him in exchange for the worldly kingdoms that he showed Him.
The third temptation Jesus faced was the pride of life.
Luke 4:9-11 NIV The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
In this temptation the devil wanted Jesus to test God; a temptation to prove if God will submit to an individual’s personal will or motives, instead of man submitting to God.
Let’s take a closer look at Lust of the Flesh?
“Flesh” here refers here to the depraved human nature that governs a person’s will, reason, and emotions. The lust of the flesh is any temptation or sin that appeals to our physical appetites. It is any sin that gives people sinful pleasure and attempts to satisfy our emotional senses and physical desires through sin.
Examples of the lust of the flesh include sexual sins such as fornication, adultery, pornography, and unnatural sexual acts. Other examples of the lust of the flesh include drug addiction, alcoholism, gluttony, physical violence, materialism, gossip, idolatry and so forth.
Galatians 5:19-26 NIV says The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
What about the Lust of the Eyes?
The lust of the eyes is coveting and desiring something that belongs to someone else. It may be their spouse, or girl or boyfriend, it may be their position at work, or in the church it may be their position or spiritual gift(s) [we talked about that last week], it may be their clothes or their home, or any number of things. Looks a lot like jealousy doesn’t it. Remember last week, we defined envy and jealousy as coveting things that belong to other people.
The difference is that lust is a feeling of strong desire, while envy is resentful desire of something possessed by another or others. Lust is to desire very strongly while envy is to feel displeasure or hatred towards (someone) for their good fortune or possessions.
Slaves to "the lust of the eyes" are also in danger of what Paul describes as the love of money.
1 Timothy 6:10 NIV For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Lust most often begins with what may be just a glance, but if not dealt with can become full blown sinful lust.
For example, Jesus says that adultery is not only a sin that one commits through physical sexual contact. Instead, according to Christ, adultery begins in the mind through looking or fantasizing.
Matthew 5:27-30 NIV “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
We've talked about the lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes but What is the Pride of Life?
The word translated “pride” is the same word used in James 4:16 and translated as “boastings.”
James 4:16 NIV As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
It amounts to the arrogant, proud dependence on your own achievements, intelligence, resources, or wealth. These sins are always tempting us.
It is the temptation and desire for power, personal recognition, and personal glory. The pride of life is also when someone believes he/she is better or superior to others based on acquired material possessions, social status, education and the like. Or as I said last week regarding spiritual gifts, which are given to edify the entire church, some people think their gifts are superior to those of others, and they are in danger of giving in to the pride of life temptation because, they have the gift of teaching, prophecy, evangelism wisdom, or healing, and not the gift of helps or service.
The pride of life appeals to arrogance, conceitedness, narcissism and all manner of self-exaltation and superiority complexes. The pride of life also tempts people to seek popularity and admiration from others at any cost.
Our boasting should not be in ourselves, our stuff or our accomplishments.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
The pride of life opposes a life and attitude of humility.
Romans 12:3 says: For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Philippians 2:3 says: Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves
Proverbs 8:13 says: The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate
James 4:6 says: But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Conclusion
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is linked to one’s love for the world. Therefore, when we have a culture of enjoying & yielding to these 3 categories of temptations, then we expose ourselves as being lovers of the world and not lovers of God.
Back to our text but I am going to add two more verses, verse 15 before and verse 17 after.
Our text is
1 John 2:16 NIV For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
So let’s read the whole thing
1 John 2:15-17 NIV Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
To overcome temptation, we must take the example of Jesus Christ and be spiritually rooted in knowing and understanding God’s word for every situation we face in life.
Whenever Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil, Jesus would always respond to each temptation with Scripture.
Christ not only knew the Scriptures, but He obeyed them. This is the example we must take from Jesus Christ whenever we are tempted with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
Prayer
Father we praise you and thank you for this blessed day that you have made. We seek you as we ask your forgiveness for yielding to and committing sinful deeds through the lust of the eye, pride of life and lust of the flesh. Grant us the power through your word to overcome, to be delivered and set free from bondage. Guide and lead us into all truth in Jesus name, amen.
Sermon Audio
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