Deal or No Deal: Lust or Self-Control?

September 28, 2008 - Rev. Rurel Ausley, Rev. Kevin Kelly

1. A Biblical Perspective (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Ephesians 5:3-7; Proverbs 4:23)

If you want to know God's will for your life, start with sexual purity and self-control.
It's a big deal spiritually.
When it comes to purity, God wants us to sweat the little stuff.

2. The truth about lust and immorality

Temptation is not a sin. (Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 5:27-28)
Lust and immorality are neither private nor victimless. (1 Cor. 6:15-20)
Lust and immorality seldom barge into our life, they usually sneak in. (Proverbs 7; 1 Kings 11:1-14; Romans 1:21-28)

3. The truth about self-control and purity.

Self control and purity flow from wisdom, not will power! (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-6)
The key to maintaining self control and purity is avoiding temptation, not resisting temptation. (2 Timothy 2:22; Matthew 5:27-30)

1. Describe several ways that lust is promoted in our society and self-control shunned. Give some examples of where lustful living is not only promoted, but expected.

2. We looked at several passages that give a biblical perspective on lust, self-control and immorality (refer to point 1 in the outline). Refer to 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. What is one primary area Paul talks about that we can know God's will for our life? How could our not being sexually pure impact our knowing God's will in other parts of our life?

3. Read Ephesians 5:3-7. Paul reveals that God expects us to be pure in all areas of our life. What do you think about Paul's statement, "You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God"? Do you believe that immorality and impurity are that serious in one's life? Why or why not? Name some ways these things are destructive and interfere with our spiritual development?

4. In the "truth about lust and immorality" part of the sermon I mentioned that temptation is not a sin. Refer to the scriptures above that speak to this and describe your understanding of the previous statement. How does the particular issue of temptation relate to Jesus' life? To your life?

5. Lust and immorality are neither private nor victimless—what does this statement mean? Where have you seen the truth of this statement in your life or in the lives of others? How can our impure and lustful thoughts impact others when this appears to be a private issue? In other words, what can these thoughts lead to in one's life?

6. Let's move to self-control. What is self-control and how will it manifest itself in one's life? What did I mean by "self-control and purity flow from wisdom, not will power"? We can't have enough will power to overcome every lustful or impure thought. Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why?

7. The key to maintaining self-control and purity is avoiding temptation rather than resisting it. What does this mean? How does 2 Timothy 2:22 speak to this issue? What pitfalls do we run into when we seek to resist rather than avoid? How does this type of self-control work in your life?

8. What are the areas of your life where you could employ more self-control? How are these struggles impacting you and those you love? What insights have you gained from this sermon that you can immediately apply to your life to avoid lust and be a self-controlled person?