Lust on SermonAudio

If it be so, that sin doth thus always abide in us, and will upon occasions work to all its fruit, to all manner of concupiscence, then the mortification of sin is a continual duty, that we ought to be exercised in all our days. Col. 3:3, "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." A blessed state and condition! I desire no better attainment in this world than this holds out. But what duty does the apostle infer from thence? "Therefore," saith he, "mortify your members which are upon the earth." What, I pray? "Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The mortification of sin is a duty incumbent upon the best of saints.

NUMBERS—IN THE WILDERNESS This message introduces the book of Numbers as more than a record of censuses and wilderness travel; it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God and the danger of unbelief. The Hebrew title, "In the Wilderness," captures the heart of the book as Israel moves from one generation numbered at Sinai to another generation numbered near the Promised Land. Between those two censuses, an unbelieving generation dies in the wilderness while Joshua and Caleb are preserved because they trusted the Lord. The great lesson is that people may fail God, but God will never fail His purpose or His promise. Using Romans 15, 1 Corinthians 10, John 5, 1 Peter 1, Jude, and Hebrews, the message explains that the events of Numbers were preserved for the learning, warning, comfort, and hope of Newer Testament believers. Israel becomes a series of spiritual case studies showing what happens when people obey, rebel, complain, lust, doubt, or trust God. Their wilderness experience teaches that outward deliverance is not the same as inward salvation, that proximity to the things of God does not equal faith in God, and that true rest is ultimately found not in a land but in Jesus. The message also emphasizes that God orders His people around His presence, assigns different responsibilities within the body, and expects holy things to be handled according to His revealed Word rather than human convenience or good intentions. The Levites, the tabernacle, the firstborn, the ark, the cloud, and the promised inheritance all contribute to the unfolding revelation that points toward Jesus—the Redeemer, Mediator, Rock, and true Rest of His people…

Continuing a study through the dispensations, the preacher takes up the law of sowing and reaping as God establishes it in the opening chapters of Genesis. From the curses pronounced after the first transgression, he shows that a man reaps the very thing he sows and reaps it multiplied, tracing that principle through Cain's descent from rebellion into murder and on into the corruption of a whole world. He applies it plainly to daily life: strife, lust, dishonesty and neglect cannot yield peace, purity, trust or love, because sowing to the flesh reaps corruption. He then sets against that the incorruptible seed of the word of God, and the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, which brings forth everlasting life. The message closes with a call to be sowers who plant that good seed in their own hearts and in the lives of others.

The sermon exhorts believers to live with holy integrity in a hostile culture by abstaining from sinful desires and pursuing godliness. Drawing from 1 Peter, Tomi reminds us that Christians are sojourners whose primary allegiance is to heaven, requiring them to flee fleshly lusts that wage war against the soul. He argues that honorable conduct among unbelievers serves as a powerful witness, potentially leading others to glorify God on the day of visitation. This lifestyle is not achieved through self-effort but by fixing one's eyes on Jesus Christ, who provides the example and power for sanctification. Ultimately, the goal of this holy walk is the glory of God and the salvation of those observing the believer's transformed life.

This sermon examines the progression of sin as described in James 1, emphasizing that temptation originates from human desire rather than God. It illustrates how lust conceives and gives birth to sin, which ultimately leads to spiritual and physical death. The preacher warns against blaming external forces for sinful actions and highlights the inevitability of consequences for both believers and non-believers. By analyzing biblical examples such as David and Joseph, the message underscores the necessity of fleeing temptation through reliance on Christ. Ultimately, it offers hope that victory over sin is found only in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

The sermon explores the Christian life as a continuous walk in the Spirit, defined by gradual progress in sanctification rather than immediate perfection. It contrasts this spiritual movement with the lust of the flesh, explaining that stopping one's forward momentum allows self-reliance and sin to regain mastery. The speaker emphasizes that believers cannot fulfill their desire to please God through their own strength but must rely entirely on the Holy Spirit through persistent prayer and humility. By plainly recognizing the works of the flesh with godly conviction, Christians can experience true repentance and restoration. Ultimately, walking in the Spirit empowers believers to overcome sin and bear fruit that honors God.

The sermon provides a detailed analysis of Joshua chapter 7, using the story of Achan as a case study on the seriousness of sin, the necessity of divine accountability, and the ultimate solution found in the Gospel. The speaker contrasts biblical justice with modern culture's emphasis on rehabilitation, arguing that society often downplays the need for severe consequences. The sermon unfolds by tracing the progression of Achan's sin, as framed by James 1:14-15. It began not with God's tempting, but with Achan's own lust or covetousness. This internal "greed of the heart" escalated into the external acts of stealing and hiding forbidden items, a direct violation of God's recent and historical commands. His single act is shown to be a breach of multiple aspects of God's moral law. A key point is Achan's confession. It is portrayed as genuine and theologically significant, akin to David's in Psalm 51, because he acknowledges his sin as primarily an offense "against the Lord." His detailed admission of where the loot was hidden is seen as evidence of true repentance. However, the sermon strongly emphasizes that repentance does not always remove temporal consequences. Achan's private sin had devastating public effects—the death of 36 men and the defeat of Israel—and thus, judgment was still necessary and just within the old covenant's theocratic context. This principle of accountability is extended to the New Testament church. The speaker uses the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) and Jesus' teachings in Matthew 16 and 18 to argue that God's holiness is unchanging and that the church has a God-given responsibility to address sin for its own health and purity.