Session 3: Week 4 Notes

Video Clip: SNL Clip Night at the Roxbury w/ Jim Carrey “We live in a world that takes humor with something that can also be seen as uncomfortable.”

Why do we tend to be so vulnerable when it comes to lust that centers on our bodies?

Control – we want to have control over emotions

Built In

Immediate Gratification

Easily Accessible

Feels Good

Lack of Accountability

Addictive

Have you ever thought about having a theology of sex?    Why are we afraid to talk about certain subjects? Because we don’t always have the wisdom.

Wisdom – Skilled at Living

Review:

Redefine Lust – Extreme desire that causes us to overindulge, sin, fixate upon, objectify for the purpose of self gratification.

Beauty is given of God; lust is the fixating of a person, subject that leads to the altering of God’s gift.  The fixation can then lead to a habit.  Lust is a manifestation of something wrong…it does not lie below the surface because it doesn’t answer the question of what’s causing us to fixate.

James 1-  13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

 16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

What we learn from this passage:

1.     God is not tempting us

2.     We hold responsibility

3.     It’s saying evil is wrong and not desire

God doesn’t ask us to kill our desires, He wants us to redirect it.  Lust lures us to leave the safety of healthy desires.  Sex is not tied to our bodies, it’s a full on engagement.  In marriage it’s fulfilled, outside it is left empty. 

When we confess, talk openly and confront the lust we stay in the safe zone, the more we ignore it the more we go into a danger zone.  The further we go into the danger zone the closer we get to the conception of sin, which leads to death. (James 1:15)

Pornography - Pornea – It creates an illusion of intimacy and connection where we treat ourselves as 1 dimensional (as well as others) instead of treating ourselves as human beings who are wonderfully made.  It sets off the sex trigger in our life.

Matthew 5:27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[a] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

All sin is not the same.  It’s not a problem to look or see, but it is a problem look lustfully, because it’s not an honest appreciation.

2 Samuel 11…How did David get himself into trouble?

He was alone.

He was not where he was supposed to be.

He was not accepting of God’s wisdom

Proverbs 5 and 7 show us what happens when we get deeper and deeper into Lust.

Psalm 51 speaks of David’s sorrow for turning away from God.  God doesn’t want us to stop desiring, He just wants us to redirect it towards Him.