Sin begins in the heart.

Matthew 5:27-30

The Law of Moses taught that one should not commit adultery. “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14). “The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death” (Lev 20:10).

Sin begins in the heart.

Why is lust so damaging?

One: Lust leads to other sin. Ask David how lust worked for him. Ask Judas how greed worked for him.

Two: Lust doesn’t respect others. Rom 13:8-9. Paul told Timothy to regard younger women “with all purity” (1 Tim 5:1-2).

Three: Lust damages marriages. “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb 13:4).

How do we get rid of lust?

One: We must guard our hearts. “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1). “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life” (Prov 4:2). “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9).

Two: Separate yourself from evil. Matt 5:29-30. Eternity is a long time to regret not taking drastic steps.

Three: Fill your life with good. You have to fill the void with something good. “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things” (Phil 4:8).

What is in your heart this morning?