Faith's Power in the Battle Against Lust

Devotional

Day 1: Lust Distorts God's Gift of Sexual Desire

Lust is a distortion of the good gift of sexual desire, which God intended to be governed by commitments to honor others and revere God in holiness. It is a desire that dishonors its object and disregards God, rooted in a lack of true knowledge of Him. Lust takes what God designed as a beautiful expression of love within the boundaries of marriage and twists it into something self-serving and destructive. This distortion occurs when individuals prioritize their desires over God's intentions, leading to actions that dishonor both themselves and others. Understanding lust as a deviation from God's plan helps believers recognize the importance of aligning their desires with God's will. [01:15]

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God." (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you allowed your desires to deviate from God's intentions, and how can you realign them with His will today?

Day 2: The Eternal Consequences of Lust

Our culture often trivializes personal piety, focusing on larger societal issues. However, the consequences of lust are far more severe than any worldly catastrophe, as they impact our eternal destiny. While society may downplay the significance of personal holiness, the Bible emphasizes that unchecked lust can lead to spiritual death. This is because lust, when fully grown, gives birth to sin, which ultimately leads to separation from God. Recognizing the eternal implications of lust encourages believers to take their personal purity seriously and to seek God's help in overcoming sinful desires. [09:21]

"But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." (James 1:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding the eternal consequences of lust change your perspective on personal purity, and what steps can you take today to pursue holiness?

Day 3: Faith as the Key to Overcoming Lust

The fight against lust is deeply tied to our faith in God. Faith is the key to overcoming lust, as it severs the root of covetousness and misplaced desires. It is through faith that we can experience victory over sin. When believers place their trust in God, they are empowered to resist the temptations of lust and to live in accordance with His will. Faith enables individuals to see beyond their immediate desires and to focus on the eternal rewards that come from living a life pleasing to God. By strengthening their faith, believers can break free from the chains of lust and experience true freedom in Christ. [11:59]

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you need to exercise more faith to overcome lust, and how can you actively strengthen your faith today?

Day 4: Feeding Faith with the Knowledge of God

The way to fight lust is by feeding our faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God. This involves engaging in practices that deepen our understanding of God, such as meditating on His word and associating with God-centered individuals. By immersing themselves in the truth of God's character and His promises, believers can cultivate a faith that is strong enough to resist the temptations of lust. This process requires intentionality and dedication, as individuals must prioritize their spiritual growth and seek out opportunities to learn more about God. As their knowledge of God increases, so too does their ability to overcome the desires of the flesh. [21:07]

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: What specific practices can you incorporate into your daily routine to deepen your knowledge of God and strengthen your faith against lust?

Day 5: Ravished by the Irresistible Glory of God

By being ravished by the irresistible glory of God, we can overpower all other passions. This requires a commitment to knowing God more deeply and engaging in the spiritual warfare necessary to overcome lust. When believers are captivated by the beauty and majesty of God, their desires are transformed, and they find greater satisfaction in Him than in any earthly pleasure. This transformation is not instantaneous but requires ongoing effort and reliance on the Holy Spirit. As believers pursue a deeper relationship with God, they are equipped to resist the temptations of lust and to live lives that reflect His glory. [22:18]

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm 27:4, ESV)

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper desire for God's glory in your life, and what steps can you take today to prioritize your relationship with Him over other passions?

Sermon Summary

In today's message, we explored the profound connection between lust and unbelief, emphasizing that the battle for sexual purity is fundamentally a fight of faith. Lust, as defined, is a sexual desire that dishonors its object and disregards God. It is a distortion of the good gift of sexual desire, which God intended to be governed by commitments to honor others and revere God in holiness. The root of lust lies in a lack of knowledge of God, not merely intellectual knowledge, but a deep, heart-level understanding of His glory, beauty, and holiness.

We examined how our culture often trivializes personal piety, focusing instead on larger societal issues. However, the consequences of lust are far more severe than any worldly catastrophe, as they impact our eternal destiny. The fight against lust is not just about personal discipline but is deeply tied to our faith in God. Faith is the key to overcoming lust, as it severs the root of covetousness and misplaced desires. It is through faith that we can experience victory over sin, as we are no longer under the law but under grace.

The message concluded with a powerful illustration of a man who found deliverance from lust by discovering the transcendent love of God. This love requires our faculties to be purified and cleansed, allowing us to experience the fullness of God's presence. The way to fight lust is by feeding our faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God. This involves engaging in practices that deepen our understanding of God, such as meditating on His word, reading solid theological works, and associating with God-centered individuals. By doing so, we can be ravished by the irresistible glory of God, overpowering all other passions.

Key Takeaways

1. Lust is a distortion of the good gift of sexual desire, which God intended to be governed by commitments to honor others and revere God in holiness. It is a desire that dishonors its object and disregards God, rooted in a lack of true knowledge of Him. [01:15]
2. Our culture often trivializes personal piety, focusing on larger societal issues. However, the consequences of lust are far more severe than any worldly catastrophe, as they impact our eternal destiny. [09:21]
3. The fight against lust is deeply tied to our faith in God. Faith is the key to overcoming lust, as it severs the root of covetousness and misplaced desires. It is through faith that we can experience victory over sin. [11:59]
4. The way to fight lust is by feeding our faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God. This involves engaging in practices that deepen our understanding of God, such as meditating on His word and associating with God-centered individuals. [21:07]
5. By being ravished by the irresistible glory of God, we can overpower all other passions. This requires a commitment to knowing God more deeply and engaging in the spiritual warfare necessary to overcome lust. [22:18]
** [22:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - The Battle Against Lust
[00:36] - Definition of Lust
[01:15] - Sexual Desire and God's Intent
[02:14] - Marriage and Covenant Relationship
[03:26] - Holiness and Regard for God
[04:23] - Consequences of Disregarding God
[05:48] - Cultural Perspectives on Lust
[07:51] - God's Message on Lust
[09:21] - Eternal Consequences of Lust
[10:42] - Faith and Holiness
[12:19] - Root Cause of Lust
[13:46] - Knowledge of God
[15:28] - True Knowledge vs. Head Knowledge
[17:17] - Faith as Knowledge
[18:18] - Testimony of Deliverance
[20:49] - Feeding Faith to Fight Lust
[22:18] - Engaging in Spiritual Warfare

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading
- 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8: This passage discusses living a life that pleases God, specifically addressing sexual purity and the importance of holiness.
- Romans 6:14: "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."
- 2 Corinthians 4:6: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."

Observation Questions

According to 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, what are the instructions given to believers regarding sexual purity and holiness?
How does the sermon define lust, and what are its two main characteristics? [01:15]
What does Romans 6:14 suggest about the relationship between sin and grace?
In the sermon, what is identified as the root cause of lust? [13:46]

Interpretation Questions

How does the concept of lust as a distortion of sexual desire challenge common cultural perceptions of lust? [05:04]
What does it mean to have a "supreme regard for God" in the context of sexual desire, as discussed in the sermon? [04:42]
How does the sermon illustrate the connection between faith and overcoming lust? [11:59]
What role does the knowledge of God's glory play in combating lust, according to 2 Corinthians 4:6 and the sermon? [15:44]

Application Questions

Reflect on your understanding of sexual desire. How can you ensure it is governed by commitments to honor others and revere God in holiness? [02:14]
The sermon suggests that our culture often trivializes personal piety. How can you prioritize personal holiness in a culture that may not value it? [05:48]
Consider the role of faith in your life. How can you actively feed your faith to combat misplaced desires? [21:07]
What practices can you incorporate into your daily routine to deepen your understanding of God and experience His irresistible glory? [22:18]
Identify a specific area in your life where you struggle with lust or misplaced desires. What steps can you take this week to address this struggle through faith and knowledge of God?
How can you create a supportive community around you that encourages God-centered living and accountability in the fight against lust? [21:54]
Reflect on the testimony shared in the sermon about deliverance from lust. How can you apply the lessons from this story to your own journey towards purity? [18:18]

Sermon Clips

Lust is a sexual desire that dishonors its object and disregards God. Lust is a sexual desire that dishonors its object and disregards God. Now sexual desire is good. Let's just settle that at the outset. God thought it up. God created it. God made it. It has its proper ordained place in his creation. [00:01:10]

God established a relationship called marriage at the outset of creation. The intention of that relationship was to be one man, one woman forming a lifelong Covenant in which they commit themselves to honor each other as The Heirs of life together. Therefore, to say to another person I want you to satisfy my sexual desire but I don't want you as a covenant partner is the same as saying I want your body for my pleasure but I don't want you as a whole person. [00:02:18]

Lust comes from not knowing God, having no regard for God, not holding him as the supremely Holy One and important one in your life. Look at verse eight. Same point is going to be made here. Therefore, whoever disregards this, namely this call for Holiness, disregards not man but God who gives his holy spirit to you. [00:04:01]

The consequences of lust are going to be worse than the consequences of nuclear war. All that nuclear war can do is kill five billion bodies. And Jesus said very, very plainly, do not fear Him who kills the body and after that has nothing that he can do. Rather fear Him who after killing the body can cast soul and body into hell. [00:08:10]

The fight for Purity, sexual Purity, purity of the imagination in the mind and heart is a fight of Faith. The error that I am trying to explode in these messages week in and week out is the error that faith in God and the fight for Holiness are different things. That's the error that I'm attacking that says faith in God and the fight for Holiness are separate things. [00:10:32]

Faith is what severs the root of covetousness, misplaced shame, anxiety, lust, and tonight envy and six more before we're done this year. There is one Warfare and it is the Warfare of faith. And so all we have left to do then this morning is to find from this text and I wish we had time to gather in many others that the root cause of lust, not sexual desire, the root cause of the ruination of sexual desire in lust is unbelief in God. [00:11:55]

Not knowing God is the root cause of lust. Not not knowing God is the root cause of lust. Now what does that mean? Let's just think about this. What kind of knowledge is he talking about? You remember how much the demons knew in the ministry of Jesus. You remember in Mark 1:24 Jesus comes into a synagogue. [00:13:49]

It's the knowledge described in 2 Corinthians 4:6 where he says God has shown into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. It's the knowledge of God's greatness, his grander, his glory, his Beauty, his power, his wisdom, his Justice, his goodness, his truth. It's a knowledge that humbles you and wins you and holds you. [00:15:39]

The way to fight lust is by feeding Faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God. The way to fight lust is by feeding Faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God. And so I close by asking all of you now do you know God better? Perhaps I should say are you engaged in week by weak growth in knowing God? [00:21:00]

Do you meditate on God's word day and night? Do you spend time focusing in on the snapshots of the image of God in his son in the gospels? Do you read great solid books that describe the character and the ways of God? Do you associate with people who are God besided and God saturated? Are you praying daily, sometimes with fasting, that God would so waken and Quicken your heart that you would have the capacity to be ravished by the irresistible glory of God with a motion and a movement and a joy overpowering all the passions that can go out towards pornography? [00:21:40]

If knowing God in all his irresistible glory is the way to push this junk out of my life, I want God. I want to be greedy for God. I want more of God than I've ever known. If that's the way out of this bondage, you make that commitment and you follow those guidelines and God will meet you in a mighty way as you enter into Warfare with this mortal enemy. [00:22:55]

This is light and Truth, God-centered preaching to help you see Christ clearly and treasure him truly. I'm your host Dan Kover. Thank you for listening. On our next episode, John Piper continues our series the real fight for Faith with a sermon titled fighting Envy. I hope you'll join us for more resources. [00:23:57]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?

Faith's Power in the Battle Against Lust

Devotional

Day 1: Lust Distorts God's Gift of Sexual Desire

Day 2: The Eternal Consequences of Lust

Day 3: Faith as the Key to Overcoming Lust

Day 4: Feeding Faith with the Knowledge of God

Day 5: Ravished by the Irresistible Glory of God

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Faith's Power in the Battle Against Lust

Share