Lust Defined

00:00:05.000 | On this podcast we talk a lot about sexual temptation and sexual sin because

00:00:09.000 | there's a real need for frank talk about it and because the Bible has a lot to say as well.

00:00:14.000 | So what is lust? Pastor John gave a sharp and concise definition in his sermon,

00:00:20.000 | "Battling the Unbelief of Lust," which he preached 25 years ago. He was preaching from 1 Thessalonians 4,

00:00:26.000 | verses 1 through 8, and this is what he said.

00:00:29.000 | It says here in verse 4, "Do this," whether it's take a wife or whether it's control your body,

00:00:36.000 | "Do this in holiness, not in the passion of lust."

00:00:42.000 | Now holiness has to do with God. It has to do with being set apart for God, right?

00:00:47.000 | We all know that basic biblical concept of being set apart for God.

00:00:53.000 | Verse 5, "Therefore," goes on like this, "not in the passion of lust, like the heathen who don't know God."

00:01:00.000 | Lust comes from not knowing God, having no regard for God,

00:01:06.000 | not holding Him as the supremely holy one and important one in your life.

00:01:13.000 | Look at verse 8, same point is going to be made here.

00:01:16.000 | "Therefore, whoever disregards this," namely this call for holiness,

00:01:23.000 | "Whoever disregards this call for holiness, disregards not man, but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

00:01:34.000 | So the root issue in lust is whether you regard God with your sexual desires.

00:01:42.000 | Do you have a supreme regard for God or is God disregarded when it comes to lust or sexual desire?

00:01:53.000 | So here's my definition then of lust.

00:01:56.000 | Lust is taking a perfectly good thing that God created, namely sexual desire,

00:02:01.000 | and abstracting it or stripping it off from an honor toward people, a person,

00:02:11.000 | and stripping it off from a supreme regard for God in holiness.

00:02:18.000 | You take God away and you take the honor of man away, and what you've got left in sexual desire is lust.

00:02:27.000 | That's my definition.

00:02:29.000 | That clip was taken from John Piper's sermon, "Battling the Unbelief of Lust," preached back on November 13, 1988.

00:02:36.000 | And for more on the root of sexual sin, see two episodes in this podcast series,

00:02:41.000 | episode number 396, "Why Sex is Not the Root of Sexual Sin,"

00:02:45.000 | and see also episode 304, "Visualizing Christ to Battle Lust."

00:02:50.000 | You can find these and another 400 episodes in the podcast archive.

00:02:53.000 | But how do I get to the podcast archive, you ask?

00:02:55.000 | Well, one of the easiest ways is through the Ask Pastor John app for the iPhone, the iPad, and the Android devices.

00:03:01.000 | In the updated app, you can access the entire archive of episodes, and you will see a search bar at the top of the screen.

00:03:08.000 | From here, you can search all of the titles.

00:03:10.000 | And if you don't see these features in your app, be sure to update.

00:03:13.000 | Also, you can tap and send us an email question of your own, all from the app that is free of charge to you.

00:03:19.000 | Well, Pastor John has a new job title at Bethlehem Baptist Church, "Pastor Emeritus."

00:03:24.000 | Tomorrow, he will explain what it means.

00:03:27.000 | I'm your host, Tony Reinke.

00:03:28.000 | Thanks for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast.

00:03:34.000 | [ Silence ]