Lust Series

Next series up for us is Abraham. This morning is one more special morning for our church for we bury a time capsule to commemorate the beginning of Cross Church’s new building. Today, we arrive at the last of 7 Deadly Sins of Family. Today, I want to speak to you about the deadly sin of lust.

And just because we reserved lust for last, doesn’t mean lust is least. In a 2012 survey of a little more than 500 people, lust was one of the least deadly sins of the seven, alongside pride and apathy. No matter what we may think, lust can be a powerful deadly toxin to your family. Our world is saturated in sexual freedom. Just four decades ago, many were pushing the envelope of the sexual revolution, But today there’s little room to push it.

Pastoral Note: I always attempt to use verbal modesty when speaking on a sensitivity subject like sex.

I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Genesis 39 where we hear a story that could be torn from today’s headlines. A young man is accused of molesting a woman and a charge like this is powerful. Set in Egypt some 3,800 years ago, the story of Joseph, the Patriarch proves powerful even to our day.

Today’s Scripture

The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

11 But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house. 19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison” (Genesis 39:2-20).

Most of us know the general vibe of the Bible’s teaching on sex but every and now and then, we’re surprised.

The Wicked Bible

In 1631 royal printers in London, reprinted of the King James Bible with one glaring mistake. Today this rare Bible is known as the Wicked Bible because for the one little mistake that slipped past the proofreaders in Exodus 20:14. You know as the Seventh Commandment, but I doubt you’ve read it this way: “Thou shalt commit adultery.” Three little letters in English “N O T” were missing and they are really significant. Most of the Bibles were destroyed, but there are still a few in circulation that have actually become huge collectors’ items.