KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 John 2:15-17
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away,
and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1. What is Flesh?
a. The body as opposed to the mind or soul.
b. The physical or carnal nature of humankind.
c. Sensual appetites.
2. What is Lust?
a. An overwhelming desire or craving
b. Intense eagerness or enthusiasm
c. (Obsolete) Pleasure; relish
3. So…What are the Lusts of the Flesh?
a. The Overmastery of the Physical or Carnal Nature
i. Addictions
1. Physical (Cocaine, Alcohol, Food, Sex, etc.)
2. Emotional (Adultery, Intimacy, Co-Dependence, etc.)
ii. Sensations
1. Physical (Adrenaline Rush, Death Defiance, etc.)
2. Emotional (Power, Submission, Dominance, etc.)
b. The PASSION FOR SATISFACTION
i. Unbridled/Uncontrolled “NEED” that produces undesirable results
1. E.g. Smoking leads to cancer
2. Aberrant sexual desires lead to STDs, divorce, rape, etc.
ii. Unpredictable “REACTION” to being denied
1. If an infant had the strength of an adult he would have no compunction in killing
his own mother with his bare hands when told “No.”
2. Severe emotional and physical “lashing out” over minor infractions or offenses
iii. The natural “sins” that never need be taught: lying, cheating, stealing, etc.
4. What Must Be Done To Change?
a. ABSTAIN from the fleshly lusts
1 Peter 2:11 "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"
b. MORTIFY the flesh/body
Romans 8:13 "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
c. CRUCIFY the old man
Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself for me."
d. Become BORN AGAIN
John 3:2-4 "The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that
thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest,
except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith
unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born?"
John 3:7 "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
e. Put on the NEW MAN
Colossians 3:8-10 "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put
off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in
knowledge after the image of him that created him:"
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
CONCLUSION: Be born again, crucify the flesh,and become a new creature in Christ! If you struggle with the sins and lusts of the flesh, the answer is in Jesus! Put on Christ every day, and find deliverance from these carnal "passions for satisfaction"!
