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Gluttony: Sin of Lust and Greed (Part One)

Article by Martin G. Collins

Lust, as an intense craving, is a powerful force that can control our will, leading to destructive behaviors akin to gluttony. When we yield to such overwhelming desire, it hinders the development of self-control, a crucial fruit of the Holy Spirit. Without self-control, producing other spiritual fruits becomes impossible. Excess desire drives gluttony, and when we lose control over it, we sin by feeding the god of excess within us, the god of too much, too fast, too eagerly. Nurturing lust and greed inevitably results in gluttony, signaling a deeper spiritual issue that consumes us.

A Day of Lust, Not Love

Article by Martin G. Collins

In stark contrast to true worship of God in spirit and truth, most people celebrate holidays like Saint Valentine's Day with fleshly practices and lust, directly opposing the principles of agape love. Sexual immorality has been a core element in the observance of Valentine's Day, rooted in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which encouraged licentious acts among young people. This pagan celebration, tied to figures like Venus and Cupid, was a lewd festival of sex and lust, popular in Roman times and still echoed in modern celebrations, though less overtly sexual. Despite attempts by the early Roman church to Christianize the festival by renaming it Saint Valentine's Day and shifting its focus, the day retains its sensual undertones with symbols like Cupid and arrowed hearts persisting. The celebration continues to reflect base human desires rather than godly principles, falling far short of worshipping the Father in spirit and truth.

Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, Pride of Life

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

The half-time show of the recent Superbowl exemplifies the lust of the flesh and the eyes, and the pride of life. Each choice we make changes our brains.

Concupiscence

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Lust, as described, encompasses more than just sexual desire. It refers to a broad range of wrong desires, including the yearning for forbidden things. The apostle Paul uses the term in Romans 7:8 to indicate "all manner of concupiscence," suggesting a general scope of evil desires beyond the sexual. In Colossians 3:5, while the context involves sexual sins, the term "evil concupiscence" is used to denote desires that lead to sin, positioned just before covetousness, indicating it as a step toward deeper sinfulness. The underlying Greek word, epithymia, typically signifies craving or lusting for forbidden things, as illustrated by Adam and Eve's desire for the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. The apostle John categorizes such desires as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, summarizing them as the lust of the world. These ungodly desires are contrasted with the will of God, urging a transformation from pursuing worldly, carnal desires to seeking spiritual, godly ones.

Evil Desires

Sermonette by Clyde Finklea

All the medieval 'seven deadly sins' could be categorized as a facet of lust. God designed us to have proper desires, just as His desires are always proper.

The Tenth Commandment

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

Covetousness is an insatiable desire for worldly gain and lies at the heart of where most sin originates. The tenth emphasizes man's relationship to man.

America's Number One Addiction

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Pornography destroys intimacy and objectifies the sexual partner; it turns sex into a mechanical, self-gratifying act, destroying real, wholesome love.

The Seventh Commandment

Bible Study by Martin G. Collins

The seventh commandment protects family relationships from a sexual standpoint. Sexual sins are highly destructive, and God wants His children to be pure.

Optimus Modus

Sermonette by Mike Ford

Proverbs 25:16 stresses that moderation is the best policy. Of all the fruits of God's Holy Spirit, self-control is the most difficult to attain.

Coveting and the Roots of Sin

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The tenth commandment confirms that God has not just forbidden external acts but that His aim is to curtail the sinful attitudes that motivate the acts.

The Sacredness of Marriage

Article by James Beaubelle

Scripture holds the divinely ordained institution of marriage in high regard. Here is why God considers marriage to be so important to us, society, and His purpose.

Sex, Sin and Marriage

'Ready Answer' by Staff

Sex and marriage are God-given experiences that Christians need a proper perspective of. Thus, God gives us His seventh commandment: You shall not commit adultery.

Purifying the Heart

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Jesus advises a repentant Christian to attack sexual sin at its starting point, making it less about sinful acts than about an immoral way of thinking.

The Great Flood (Part Three)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Genesis 6:1-4 summarize what led to God's rejection of the pre-flood civilization: men chose wives solely on the basis of sex appeal and external beauty.

Do You Have 'the Hunger'?

Article by John O. Reid

We all have hungers, from a desire for certain foods to a yearning for success. Jesus teaches that we are blessed when we hunger for righteousness.

Dating (Part 3): A Love Worthy of Your Life

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Society's interpretation of love is lust or infatuation. Premarital sex leads to long-term devastating effects, and never leads to adjustment in marriage.

The Writing of Prostitutes

'Prophecy Watch' by Martin G. Collins

What is pornography? Is nudity wrong? Discover the attitudes behind pornography and why Christians must strive for purity.

The Tenth Commandment (1998)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

One commentator said all public crime would cease if this one law was kept. Another said every sin against one's neighbor springs from breaking this commandment.

Thou Shall Not Covet

Sermon by John O. Reid

Because virtually every sin begins as a desire in the mind, the command against coveting (lustful cravings) could be the key to keeping the other commandments.

The Tenth Commandment

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Everyone is out to acquire as much as possible for himself. The tenth commandment, however, governs this proclivity of human nature, striking at man's heart.

In Search of a Clear World View (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The apostle John warns us to be vigilant about the world, not loving its attitudes, mindsets, and frame of mind. We cannot both love the world and love God.

The Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Has anyone, other than Jesus Christ, really exhibited self-control? In the end, however, this is the ultimate aim of growing in the character of God.

God's Rest (Part 4)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Coveting—lust—is a fountainhead of many other sins. Desiring things is not wrong, but desiring someone else's things promotes overtly sinful behavior.

The Second Commandment

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Most people consider the second commandment to deal with making or falling down before a pagan idol, but it covers all aspects of the way we worship.

Self Control

Sermonette by James Beaubelle

Self-control helps us to restrain ourselves from harmful lusts of the flesh, including gluttony, intoxication, sex outside of marriage, and drug abuse.

The Christian and the World (Part Ten)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Anxiety and fretting (symptoms of coveting and idolatry), in addition to cutting life short, erode faith, destroying serenity by borrowing tomorrow's troubles.

'But I Say to You' (Part Three): Adultery

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In the current culture war, progressives have declared war against God's seventh commandment by encouraging free sex, homosexuality, and other perversions.

True Self-Control

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Self-control is the ability to focus our attention so that our decisions will not be directed by wrong thoughts. If we change our thoughts, we change our behavior.

The Commandments (Part Nineteen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Jesus taught that all outward sin stems from inner inordinate desire. What we desire or lust after automatically becomes our idol.

The Thinking Mind

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. Collins

In the current toxic culture, we have been warned not to be conformed to the world, but to become transformed into the glorious likeness of Christ.

Take Heed to Yourselves

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Jesus Christ tells us to take heed about our vulnerability to evil influences. We have a short window of time to repent and get our lives turned around.

God's Rest (Part 3)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Lust begets a guilty conscience, agitation, anxiety, depression, grief, torment. Wrong desire leads to lying, adultery, and murder—eventually leading to death.

The Commandments (Part Sixteen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

It is absolutely impossible for lust to bring about any kind of satisfaction. Adultery cannot be entered into without irrevocably damaging relationships.

Principled Living (Part Two): Conquering Sin

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Christ warns that we must do everything possible to annihilate sin - surgically going right to the heart or mind: the level of thought and imagination.

Strategies for Interfacing with Babylon Without Becoming Assimilated (Part Two)

Sermon by David F. Maas

There are three basic causes for discontentment and three strategies to contentment, enabling us to emulate the apostle Paul's content state of mind.

Can You See Yourself From Every Side?

Sermonette by Ted E. Bowling

As we exercise circumspection, we must take God's will for us into our cautious examining in our prayers, study, and meditation, avoiding the world.

Modesty (Part One): Moderation and Propriety

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. Collins

We must avoid the world's extremes and sensual excesses in matters of dress and fashion, adopting instead humility, chastity, decency, morality, and self control.

Choosing to Have a Good Relationship

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

The Bible emphasizes marriage as the primary bond of society. The purpose for the marriage relationship is to depict the marriage of Christ and His bride.