An Inward Attitude; An Outward Action - “Thou Shalt Not Lust”

While my wife and I were shopping at a mall kiosk, a shapely young woman in a short, form-fitting dress strolled by. My eyes followed her. 
 
Without looking up from the item she was examining, my wife asked, "Was it worth the trouble you're in?" - Drew Anderson (Tucson, AZ), Reader's Digest.

Martin Luther once said, “You can’t prevent the devil from shooting arrows of evil thoughts into your heart; but take care that you do not let such arrows stick and grow there.”

As our Lord discussed the subject of sexual purity, He indicated that adultery begins with thoughts that are allowed to grow.

Matt 5:27-28
27 "You have heard that it was said, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

I. What is lust?

1. An inward attitude. Throughout this portion of Matthew 5, Christ Jesus emphasizes the inward attitudes that lead to sinful acts.

1. The Pharisees said that the commandment on adultery could be broken only by the overt sexual act.

2. Our Lord indicates that when one uses their eyes to excite lust and passion outside of marriage, they have committed the inward sin that leads to the overt sexual act.

3. That person suffers from the guilt of the act even though they have not committed the act.

2. An evil thought. What did Christ Jesus mean? He certainly did not mean that looking at a woman is a sin.

1. One may look upon a woman to admire her grace and beauty. One may look at a woman and see gentle motherhood and loving mercy.

2. The sin is not in the looking but in the evil purpose of the look. Temptation becomes sin when one looks upon another and says, “I would commit the act of adultery if I had the opportunity.”

II. What harm can lust do?

1. Lust transforms good into evil. The right hand and right eye are considered the best hand and the best eye.

1. Our Lord is teaching that nothing should be kept in our lives that leads to sexual impurity — no matter how good it may be.

2. There is nothing evil about sex within marriage (Gen. 2:24). Within marriage sex is good and noble; outside of marriage it is reduced to sin.

3. When lust leads to fornication or adultery, it transforms good into evil.

2. Lust destroys. Casting away and plucking out speaks of destruction. Lust can destroy a person’s body, influence, and character. In the final analysis, lust may destroy a person’s soul.

3. Lust leads to forgetfulness. What you think, you are! If one thinks lust, he or she will finally act out adultery (Jer. 7:9; Mark 7:21).

1. Lust causes you to forget that your body is a “living sacrifice” that is to be presented to God (Rom. 12:1 – 2).

2. Lust causes you to forget that your body is the “temple of the Holy Spirit” and is not to be defiled by fornication or adultery (1 Cor. 6:18 – 20).

1. Percentage of marriages where one or both spouses admit to infidelity, either physical or emotional: 41%

2. Percentage of men who admit to committing infidelity in any relationship they've had: 57%

3. Percentage of women who admit to committing infidelity in any relationship they've had: 54%

4. Percentage of men and women who admit to having an affair with a co-worker: 36%

5. Percentage of men and women who admit to infidelity on business trips: 36%

6. Percentage of men who say they would have an affair if they knew they would never get caught: 74%

7. Percentage of women who say they would have an affair if they knew they would never get caught: 68%

III. How can one overcome lust?

1. Work at it. John Ruskin once said, “No one can ask honestly or hopefully to be delivered from temptation unless he has himself honestly and firmly determined to do the best that he can to keep out of it.”

2. Practice God’s presence. What you are afraid to do in man’s presence, be afraid to think in God’s presence. The destruction of sin begins in the heart (Ps. 24:3 – 4). Someone once said, “What you want to become tomorrow, your thought life must be today.”

3. Mortify evil habits and deeds (1 Cor. 9:27; Col. 3:5). A philosopher once said, “I can’t prevent a bird from flying over my head, but I can prevent him from building a nest in my hair.”

4. Refuse to feed the flesh. The apostle Paul admonishes, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Rom. 13:14). We are to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22).

1. We feed the flesh through the eyes, the ears, and the lips. Christians must avoid magazines, and computer sites that feed the flesh with scandals and pornography.

2. They must also choose wisely which t.v. shows and movies they watch.

3. And they must be discerning in what they hear and cautious in repeating it (Rom. 8:13).

Conclusion

In one of Homer’s Greek mythologies, he tells the story of an island that is inhabited by beautiful, seductive maidens whose singing caused several ships to perish on the reefs that surrounded the island.

Ship captains had tried several methods to foil the temptation. They filled the ears of their sailors with wax so that they would be deaf to the seductive songs of the sirens. Ulysses plugged his sailors’ ears with wax and tied himself to the mast of the ship. As he heard the seductive singing, he was kept safe by the rope that bound him.

But Jason and his crew found the best method. He took on board his ship Orpheus, the sweetest singer of his day. As they neared the island, Orpheus played his lyre and sang a song that was far grander than the songs of the maidens. The cheap, seductive songs of the sirens were no match for the sweet singing of Orpheus.

A Christian can best overcome lust and bypass adultery by filling his or her mind and life with things that are noble, just, pure, lovable, gracious, excellent, and admirable (Phil. 4:8).