The Sickness: Lust

According to the dictionary, lust is an intense, self-indulgent, unrestrained sexual craving. Now, it’s true we can lust after power, money, or drugs – but lust is particularly connected to sex. Jesus said it’s well worth a hand or an eye to get rid of lust in your life! The early church leaders would call it a “deadly sin.” But today, in the 21st century, lust is a multi-billion dollar business!

So is lust just a joke? Talk show hosts and stand-up comedians have almost limitless comedic fuel in the lives of politicians, actors, and professional athletes – anyone who says or does something we all know in our heart of hearts is wrong. And I want to point out the craze of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette (and all other shows of that ilk) – TV shows focusing on 20+ people of the opposite sex clamoring for the love and affection of 1 single person. And it’s all for show – the lights and the cameras, the jetting around the world to exotic locations – fancy dinners with glamorous clothes – all the drama and the suspense – and of course, lots of alcohol – all for TV ratings! Call it voyeurism, call it fantasy, call it good TV – call it what you will, I say it’s not reality by any stretch of the imagination! It’s nothing more than culture making “lust” an acceptable way of seeking love.

In today’s world, we’ve elevated the sin of lust to a lucrative business! Pornography is an almost $60 billion business world-wide. There are more than 4 billion porn websites, and their reported average age of those who view them are youth between the ages of 12-17.

Our culture says lust is normal, healthy and acceptable! But lust is seeking sex as a replacement for something God gave us as a beautiful gift of our humanity. We are not animals that propagate our species by sexual instinct. Sexual relations between a loving, committed, husband and wife is a wonderful gift of God. Yes, it feels great, and yes, it’s intensely personal and invites the couple into what the Bible describes as 2 individuals who become “one flesh.” As I tell any young person who will listen to me, sex really is worth the wait! But culture says yes, it IS good, so why not explore it in as many of its perverted aspects as you can!? The problem is, as Pastor Olds says, “Living with lust is like being shackled to a lunatic. Lust is the craving for salt by a person who is dying of thirst; lust confuses intensity with intimacy; lust does not call for condemnation.” Lust cares for nothing but itself, and there’s no judgment for doing anything and everything to fulfill its carnal cravings.

However, there’s a better way for us! There’s liberation from the lunatic; there’s freedom from the shackles; there’s a real way forward that has truth and meaning: it’s called love!

Pastor Corey Jenkins

Faith Methodist Church