[Biblemat] S:> Lasciviousness
Ethan R. Longhenry
disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com
Tue Apr 8 13:48:12 CDT 2008
http://www.deusvitae.com/faith/outlines/index.html
Lasciviousness
I. Introduction
A. There is perhaps only one thing that unites all people
1. It transcends racial, cultural, and political borders
2. It's something that even sworn enemies can agree on!
B. That thing is sexual desire
1. Sexual desire is quite powerful
2. Empires have been made or destroyed by it
3. More has probably been written about it than anything else
C. Sexual desire not inherently sinful
1. Part of God's creation, called "very good" (Genesis 1:31)
2. Something for humans to enjoy (Song of Solomon)
3. Means of establishing the human pair bond (Genesis 2:24)
4. To be enjoyed in the bonds of marriage (Matthew 19:4-6,
1 Corinthians 7:1-9, Hebrews 13:4)
D. The difficulty is found in the abuse of sexual desire!
1. Sexual desire is often taken out of its rightful place
2. Temptation exists in many places and forms
E. Modern society has not helped
1. One thing is clear: marketers understand that "sex sells"
for many
2. Advertisements for everything from gum to clothes involve
sexual innuendo
3. People dress in ways so as to be noticed-- this often
involves sexual desire
F. As with all things, thought comes before action
1. The NT indicates clearly that we can cleanse our conduct
by cleansing the mind (2 Corinthians 10:5, Philippians 4:8)
2. The only way that we can conquer sexual immorality in
practice is by striving to conquer sexual immorality in
the mind
G. Such sexual desire-- lust-- is encompassed under the idea of
lasciviousness in the NT
H. Let us investigate what the Bible teaches about
lasciviousness
II. Lasciviousness
A. Lasciviousness condemned in many passages
1. Galatians 5:19-21
2. Mark 7:22-- defilements coming out of a man
3. 2 Corinthians 12:21-- present in Corinth
4. Ephesians 4:19, 1 Peter 4:3-- mark of Gentile conduct
5. Jude 1:4-- false teachers turning the Gospel into
lasciviousness
B. But what does it mean?
1. Looseness; irregular indulgence of animal desires;
wantonness; lustfulness
2. Tendency to excite lust, and promote irregular indulgences
(Webster's)
C. Greek aselgeia: unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness,
lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness,
insolence (Thayer's)
D. Lasciviousness, therefore, describes lustful behavior beyond
the bounds set by God, and anything that promotes such lust
E. Consider Matthew 5:27-28
1. The difficulties with adultery are known and understood
by most people
2. Jesus takes it a step further and speaks about intentions
of the heart
3. To mentally consider sex with someone other than your
spouse is "adultery of the heart"!
4. It is not enough to just not act on desire-- one must
also control the desire
F. That is why diligence in matters of lust/lasciviousness is
so important
1. Sexual sin is something from which one should flee
(1 Corinthians 6:18)
2. It's a temptation quite difficult for humans to control--
it is best to avoid it altogether
3. Lust opens the door, and gets us that much closer to
committing sexually deviant behavior (James 1:14-15)
4. Let us work to keep that particular door shut!
III. Lascivious Behavior
A. What, then, are some forms of lascivious behavior?
B. Sexual Intoxication
1. In 1 Peter 4:7, we are told to be sober-minded and
self-controlled
2. Many times people get intoxicated with different
things-- not just drugs and alcohol, but also things like
money, fame, and even sex
3. When sexual desire dictates your thoughts and feelings,
when you think endlessly of sex and its fulfillment,
you may be intoxicated with sex
4. As Christians, we are to be intoxicated by nothing
(1 Thessalonians 5:1-10)
5. Such intoxication will leave one more liable to commit
other forms of lascivious behavior
6. It also hinders us from focusing on what is truly
important!
C. Pornography
1. There is a large and growing industry of pornography,
entirely designed to promote lust
2. Pornography can take different forms
3. Pictorial pornography is a large section of the industry,
involving videos or photographs of people engaged in
sexual behavior
4. Pornographic literature-- also called erotica-- also has
a large following, involving written stories involving
sexually explicit behavior
5. Such has become prevalent in society, especially on the
Internet, ensnaring many souls
D. Strip clubs and other such places exist to incite lust also
E. Dancing
1. Many forms of dancing also are designed to promote lust
2. Many of the movements of modern dance styles emulate sex
3. Even if some of the participants do not understand the
problem, others have no problem enjoying the lascivious
conduct
F. Immodest clothing
1. Lasciviousness, by definition, is either the lust itself
or anything that promotes lust
2. Clothing worn-- especially the strategic lack thereof--
easily incites lust in members of the opposite gender
3. 1 Timothy 2:9
4. It is important to consider whether one's presentation
will cause others to lust, thereby leading both viewer
and viewed to condemnation!
G. Other forms of conduct could be listed, but these suffice
to show the nature of lascivious behavior
IV. Avoiding Lasciviousness
A. How can we avoid lasciviousness?
B. We cannot change how those around us conduct themselves
1. We cannot rid the Internet of pornography
2. We cannot change what others around us wear or
presentations of women on magazine covers
3. By ourselves, we cannot change our hypersexualized
culture
C. We can, however, change how we conduct ourselves!
D. We must resolve to work on matters of lust
1. We cannot wait until we get into situations involving
lust to make up our minds!
2. Proverbs 7:1-5
3. Will we determine to not let lust dictate our lives?
E. We must make agreements with our eyes
1. Job 31:1
2. We cannot help but to see, but we can help whether we
will dwell and consider
3. We return again to James 1:14-15
4. We cannot help but see lasciviously presented men and
women around us, but we can decide that we will not dwell
upon it, gaze upon it, and incite lust within ourselves
F. We must keep our mind busy with good things
1. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does our brain
2. We cannot rid ourselves of lustful thoughts if we do not
replace them with something else!
3. Philippians 4:8
4. We can always decide to pray in the midst of temptation,
to redirect our minds to God Himself
(1 Thessalonians 5:17)
G. We must keep our bodies busy with good things
1. Titus 3:8
2. If we go out and do the work of God and His Kingdom, we
won't have the time to dwell upon sexual sin and to
accomplish it!
3. We must also conduct ourselves amongst each other in
purity (1 Timothy 6:2)
H. In all things, 1 Corinthians 10:13
1. The way of escape is always there
2. It may not be easy to find, and it may be hard to
swallow
3. But we can overcome lasciviousness!
V. Conclusion
A. It is hard to stand against lasciviousness in a highly
sexualized age
B. Nevertheless, we are charged to stand for sexual purity,
in mind as well as in body!
C. Let us strive to avoid all lascivious conduct
D. Let us also strive to conduct ourselves in ways that do
not provoke lust in others
E. Let us strive to be holy as God is holy!
F. Invitation/songbook
Ethan R. Longhenry/ disciple_of_iesus at hotmail.com
Evangelist, church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio
[http://www.norwalkchurch.org]
Homepage: http://www.deusvitae.com
AOLIM: Deus Vitae/ ICQ#: 28317056
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Matthew 10:25a (ESV): "It is enough for the disciple to be like his
teacher, and the servant like his master."
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