Streets of Gold Not Shades of Grey

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” [1]

Jesus warned against lust. He made it clear that lust leads to hell. It is that serious!

I do not like to talk about lust, but it is something with which we must deal. When Jesus gave His Sermon on the Mount, He devoted a paragraph to it.

Lust distorts one’s perspective of people. It objectifies them. It de-humanizes others for the sake of personal gratification. Lust is not love. It is selfish.

Jesus said that to be with Him we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him. [2] God’s love lays down one’s own life to make another’s life better. It is about valuing others more than self. Jesus Christ empowers us to love as God loves. We must be in a relationship with God to have His love.

One of my favorite illustrations on God’s love is found in the Trinity: The Father so loved the world that He gave His Son, the Son so loved the world that He gave His life, and the Holy Spirit so loved the world that He deigned to live in humans who believe in Christ. The Bible says: “God is love.” [3] Love is His essence and nature.

The carnal self likes to recklessly enjoy sin. The problem with sin is that after we leave this life for the next one, there is a Judge, and His job is to ensure that no sin enters heaven. And no sin will! Sin must be dealt with at the cross or at the judgment seat. Which will it be?

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus said, namely, that if we embrace lust, we will lose our whole body in hell.

Lust is not a friend. It is a fiend. Lust is not something to gamble on. Those who do, lose.

The Bible urges us to FLEE from lusts. [4] Martin Luther taught, “You cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from nesting in your hair.” We need to treat lustful thoughts like the ugly demons they are.

The Bible says, “Submit yourself to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” [5] Love God! Hate provocative images. They are robbers. Read Proverbs chapters 5-7 to hear what the wisest man in the world said about lust.

In the Book of Revelation, there are two women: the Bride of Christ and the Harlot Babylon. Babylon is described as an enemy of God's saints. She seeks to destroy them. The Bride of Christ is described as God’s holy people. She is the one who inherits God and His blessings. Babylon is the one who is destroyed by God. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus encourages His people to have nothing to do with Babylon.

If there is anything worth pursuing, it is God’s holiness. Holy vessels do not taint what God pours through them. Jesus said, “For their sake I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” [7] Holiness is about being God’s blessing to others.

With the release of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and other movies of this genre, hell has opened wide its mouth to devour souls. Like fish plucked from the sea, once people take the bait, they are hooked and captured. Unless they submit themselves to God and resist the devil, the devil will NOT flee from them. They will be his captives. They will be his quarry.

Repent of lust. Ask God to forgive you. Ask God to rescue you from it. Lust has the potential to destroy your soul in hell. It is that serious. Ask God to keep you from temptation and deliver you from evil. Jesus said, “If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed.” [6] Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with God’s love. Live to love not to lust!

In the Book of Revelation, an angel showed John the streets in New Jerusalem. They were made of gold so pure that a person can see through them. Choose gold not grey. Choose God not lust. Heaven is where God and humanity dwell in unity. There are multitudes of angels and people there. It is a place of singing and joy unspeakable. “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” [8]

[1] Matthew 5:27-29
[2] Matthew 16:24
[3] 1 John 4:8, 16
[4] 2 Timothy 2:22
[5] James 4:7
[6] John 8:36
[7] John 17:19
[8] Colossians 3:2; (Revelation 21-22)

Five more Bible verses on holiness:

1 Thessalonians 5:23: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:3: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

2 Corinthians 6:1: “As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4: “This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”