Sermon Central
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Lust And Envy Series
Contributed by Steve Ely on Oct 1, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: We are taught to cover up. We use Tide Sticks, plastic surgery, and White-Out. However, God always seems to call our dirt into the light! This revealing series challenges us to expose the filth in our lives.
“Dirt”
Part 2 – Lust & Envy
I. Introduction
How did your homework go? I have heard some say that it was painful. Just shows us that the dirt is there and that it doesn’t want to go away easily.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons predicts:
• 17% of Americans will have had cosmetic surgery by 2015
Those are big numbers. But to truly grasp the incredible rate at which cosmetic surgery is growing, look at the cosmetic procedure trends of the past 8 years.
Number of Cosmetic Procedures in America
• 2000 = 7,401,495
• 2006 = 10,984,003
• 2007 = 11,795,065
• 2015 = 55,000,000+ (predicted)
Proof positive that we obsess over concealing blemishes and flaws. We will endure pain and pay a high price just to cover our dirt. If we can’t afford plastic surgery we just put on a fake smile.
We don’t like to be exposed, but it is essential for us to learn what Adam and Eve learned in Genesis . . . that is that what we hide he cannot heal and what we cover he will not clean. God will not let us hide!
“12God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. 13Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.”
We can’t get away from it so we might as well talk about our dirt. We talked about pride and greed last week. This week I want to examine 2 more of areas of dirt. Again these two sins are often connected. The perfect example is found in 2 Samuel 11.
1And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. 2And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned unto her house. 5And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
This account out of David’s life proves that he dealt with two powerful sins – lust & envy. We too have to face and deal with these dirty areas.
II. Lust
Movie stars and musicians alike are consumed by lust. One of the members of Arrowsmith said, quote, "Lust is what I live for. It’s what I got into the band for. . . Little girls in the front row."
To say it bluntly we have a lust problem in our society. Our society is saturated and built on lust. You know you are in a lust filled society when:
Age of 1st porno exposure is 11.
2.5 billion porno emails sent daily
42.7% of all internet users view porn
90% of all 8-16 years olds have viewed porn online
20% of men access porn at work
AND SO YOU WON’T THINK IT IS JUST A MAN’S PROBLEM:
Twice as many women visit sexual chat room as men
9.4 million women access adult websites each month
1 of 3 visitors to all adult websites are women.
We have a lust problem in our churches.
47% of all Christians say that porn is a problem at home
53% of promise keeper men viewed porn last week
34% of church going women intentionally visited porn websites
50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography.
60% of the women who answered the survey admitted to having significant struggles with lust; 40% admitted to being involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20% of the church-going female participants struggle with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.
Lust is out of control.
Lust is defined as an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.
David’s problem was that not only did he face lust, but that he fell to lust. Why did he fall? Why do we fall to lust?
1. He was where he wasn’t supposed to be.
He was supposed to be a war. It was the time kings were supposed to go out to battle. Instead he was flipping channels, he was surfing the internet when no one was around. He was watching movies he shouldn’t have been watching. When you are in the wrong place you will often do the wrong thing. There are three rules in real estate . . . location, location, location. There are three rules in remaining pure . . . location, location, location. When you are in the wrong place the devil will make sure you are in the wrong place at the right time.
