{"id":1692,"date":"2011-05-25T08:56:12","date_gmt":"2011-05-25T12:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=1692"},"modified":"2011-12-12T09:27:12","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T14:27:12","slug":"give-me-what-i-want-and-give-it-to-me-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/give-me-what-i-want-and-give-it-to-me-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Give Me What I Want and Give It to Me Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

I’d like to introduce you to Travis.\u00a0 Travis is nine years old, and he has all kinds of desires.<\/p>\n

Travis loves cookies.\u00a0 But when Travis eats cookies, he doesn\u2019t want just one cookie.\u00a0 He wants a whole plate of cookies.<\/p>\n

Even though Travis is only nine, one of the things Travis really wants is a girlfriend.\u00a0 He sees all of the romantic relationships depicted on TV and in the movies, and he wants that too.<\/p>\n

Travis also likes basketball, and he wants to become a professional player in the NBA.\u00a0 He enjoys playing the game, but the real reason he wants to play in the NBA is because he wants all the money and fame that come with playing in the NBA.\u00a0 He wants fans to idolize him, and he wants enough money to buy whatever he wants whenever he wants it.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s something else Travis desires.\u00a0 Travis’ older brother has a friend who is addicted to illegal drugs.\u00a0 Travis has heard all of the warnings about drugs, and he knows the damaging effects they can have on a person\u2019s body\u2026but still, Travis is curious.\u00a0 And he thinks he would like to try drugs just once.<\/p>\n

Lustful Thinking<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Believe it or not, that’s Travis’ problem.\u00a0 We tend to think of lust as a vice with which only hormonal teenagers and sexual deviants struggle, but the truth is that we all struggle with lust.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The word lust is translated from the Greek word epithumia<\/em>, which means “strong desire.”\u00a0 So, when we say that someone lusts after something, we\u2019re literally saying that they have a strong desire for it.<\/p>\n

But are all strong desires sinful?\u00a0 Of course not.\u00a0 I’m sure we can all think of things in our lives that we might strongly desire that wouldn’t be sinful.\u00a0 The Apostle Paul had some examples too.<\/p>\n

Philippians 1:23
\nBut I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Do you see the word “desire” in that verse?\u00a0 That\u2019s the word epithumia.<\/em> Paul is literally saying is that he lusts after being with Jesus.\u00a0 That’s certainly not a wrong desire.\u00a0 If it were wrong to want to be with Jesus, God would have never made it possible for us to be united with Him.<\/p>\n

But if all desires aren’t wrong, then we need to tackle an important question.<\/p>\n

How do we know when a desire becomes wrong?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Apostle James gives us some help with this.<\/p>\n

James 4:2
\nYou lust and do not have; so you commit murder.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But you say, “I’ve wanted plenty of things, but I’ve never committed murder.”\u00a0 Most people haven’t.\u00a0 But murder doesn\u2019t start with the action of picking up a weapon and killing somebody.\u00a0 Murder starts in the heart of a person who wants something so badly that when things don\u2019t go his way, he lashes out to get what he wants!\u00a0 Jesus made this point in His sermon on the mount.<\/p>\n

Matthew 5:21-22
\nYou have heard that it was said to the people long ago, \u201cDo not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.\u201d\u00a0 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The bottom line is that when you want something so badly that you are willing to do something terrible to get it\u2014when you\u2019re willing to sin to get what you want\u2014that\u2019s when your lusts have become sinful.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not the only way we can tell if our desires have become wrong.<\/p>\n

James 4:2
\nYou covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

James is saying that if you want something that you can\u2019t have, and you react by fighting and quarrelling\u2014by sinning\u2014then your desires have become sinful.<\/p>\n

So, here’s the summary of what we’re saying.<\/p>\n

There are 2 ways to identify sinful lust:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When you are willing to sin to get what you want.<\/li>\n
  2. When you respond sinfully when you can\u2019t get what you want.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    God\u2019s Word doesn\u2019t tell us that it\u2019s wrong to want things.\u00a0 It tells us that it\u2019s wrong to want things so badly that we\u2019re willing to sin.<\/p>\n

    Four Types of Sinful Lust<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Let\u2019s get a bit more specific about this.\u00a0 Remember Travis?\u00a0 Travis struggled with four sinful types of lust.\u00a0 Think about the different things he wanted.\u00a0 He wanted:<\/p>\n