The Lure of Lust
The lure of lust is deadly because one often does not see the harm of lingering with a look or imagining in the mind. Never has anyone said they wanted to be an adulterer when they grow up. Lust, like all sin, is sneaky and hides how far it is taking you away until it is too late. The residual damage of adulterous relationships is great. Take the steps that Jesus teaches to guard your heart and your eyes.
Matthew 5:27-30
Jeremiah 17:9
“We are to deal drastically with sin. We must not pamper it, flirt with it, enjoy nibbling a little of it around the edges. We are to hate it, crush it, dig it out… sin leads to hell. And that is the ultimate reason why sin must be taken seriously.” – D.A. Carson
I. Guard Your Heart (27-28)
Proverbs 6:27-28
II. Walk in Obedience to Jesus’ Demands (29-30)
“What does this involve in practice? Let me elaborate and so interpret Jesus’ teaching: “if your eye causes you to sin because temptation comes to you through your eyes (objects you see), then pluck out your eyes. That is, don’t look! Behave as if you had actually plucked out your eyes and flung them away, and were not blind and so could not see objects which previously caused you to sin. Again, if your hand or foot causes you to sin, because temptation comes to you through your hands (things you do) or your feet (places you visit), then cut them off. That is: don’t do it! Don’t go! Behave as if you had actually cut off your hands and feet, and had flung them away, and were now crippled and so could not do the things or visit the places which previously caused you to sin.” That is the meaning of “mortification.” – John Stott
Job 31:1
“Act decisively, immediately, even if it is painful…The drastic nature of the remedy is simply the index of the radical danger of the sin. It is not a situation for negotiation.” – Sinclair Ferguson
Romans 8:13
Philippians 2:12-13
“It is better to be a cultural amputee than for our whole body to go to Hell.” – Kent Hughes
“What you gain will put to shame what you give up!” – Danny Akin