In the world in which we live today, almost everything has been sexualized. People talk about a sexy car, a sexy dress, and even food is described as sexy. Our minds are set on feeding the flesh. Lust is a strong desire to have what is not rightfully yours. Lust is primarily associated with sexual passion and attraction. It can also refer to an overwhelming desire for power or money. In general, lust is a powerful desire that is selfish. It seeks to satisfy its desires and begins to devise ways to acquire what it wants at the expense of others. Lust can cause people who seem to be intelligent and strong individuals to make poor decisions.
In Matthew 14:3-12, we read the account of Herod allowing his lust for his stepdaughter to overcome him, and the result was the death of John the Baptist. Herod was a wicked man controlled by the passions of his flesh. His wife, Herodias, wanted John dead because John told Herod it was not lawful for him to have his brother’s wife. This union between Herod and his sister-in-law was a result of lust. He was headed to Rome and stopped at his brother’s house, and fell in lust with his brother’s wife. They agreed to leave both of their spouses and live together in the palace. John accused him of two crimes, one was adultery because he was living with another man’s wife, and he was also guilty of incest because she was a near relative. This was strictly forbidden in Leviticus 18:16-17.
Leviticus 18:16-17 “Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness. Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.”
In Matthew 14:6, it was Herod’s birthday, and a great party ensued. His niece, Salome, agreed to dance for him. It pleased him so much that he took an oath to give her whatever she wanted up to half the kingdom. After consulting with her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a charger. Herod was sorry for what he had told her, but because he had taken an oath, he followed through with the request. His lust caused him to make a quick, rash decision that cost the life of John the Baptist.
Matthew 14:3-12 “For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.”
In Matthew 5:28, Jesus said, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” It is a sin for anyone to look at a man or a woman and desire to have them when they are not married to that person. Women, it is also wrong for us to dress in a manner that draws attention to the sensual parts of our bodies. The lust of the flesh can only be conquered as we yield our desires to God. It is a lifelong quest to keep the flesh from ruling, but it is possible with God. Paul dealt with this matter in the letter to the Galatian church.
Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
We are to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit. We are to spend time daily alone with God, seeking His guidance and purpose for our lives. The Christian life is a journey. The word walk means to live. We cannot resist the lust of the flesh by sheer resolution, but by yielding ourselves and obeying the influence of the Holy Spirit of God. In so doing, our sinful nature will not have power over us. If we do not yield to God and deny our flesh, making no provision for it, we will end up making bad decisions that will not only affect our walk with the Lord but also affect our families and our ministries. Romans 13:14 teaches us to make no provision for the flesh. In Rome, it was a way of life to live as luxuriously as they could afford. The gratification of the flesh was at a premium. They indulged in licentious pleasures, and they lived to satisfy the flesh. Sounds like the world we live in today. Paul begins to teach these new believers to put away their old way of thinking and living, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. They were now to live a separated life for God.
Romans 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
