~ Lust of the Eyes – Lust of the Flesh
– Pride of Life ~
The Key Scripture ~ “For all
that is in the world—the lust of the
flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s
own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the
Father but are from the world [itself]” (1 John 2:16, amp – bracketed items are from the
Amplified Bible version).
the example of our Lord Jesus Christ: The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ
in His humanity was tempted in every way that we can be tempted. “For we have not an high priest [Jesus Christ] which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Someone might say, “So what?” The Word of God answers, “For in that He Himself has
suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews
2:18). Interestingly, in Matthew 4 we
find the devil deliberately tempting Jesus Christ in each of the three areas we
are looking at in this post (as noted below).
Clarification ~ “Lust” in Scripture
relates to internal sin—any wrong longing or desire which leads away from
God. The issue of lust is about the
focus and passion of our hearts. Are we focused
on our eternal God or towards lesser temporal objects (see Romans 1:21-23)?
the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ: Remember when He explained the parable of the sower He said, “Now
these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and
the cares of this world [lust of the flesh], the deceitfulness of riches [lust
of the eyes], and the desires for other things [pride of life] entering in
choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).
The Lust of the Flesh (physical
appetite) ~ In today’s modern societies many areas of physical appetite
lure us: food, drink, drugs, personal comfort, etc.
the example of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by
the devil. After fasting forty days and
forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, ‘If You are
the Son of God, tell these stones to
become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It
is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God”’” (Matthew 4:1-4). The first temptation our Savior faced was related
to the lust of the flesh in His humanity—to
His physical appetite.
The Lust of the Eyes (aesthetic
nature) ~ Particularly in “civilized countries” it is so easy to be consumed
with wanting more and more—never satisfied with what we have—a lack of contentment
with what we have! For some it might be
a drive for financial security—always wanting more. “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and
it is certain we can carry nothing
out. And having food and clothing, with
these we shall be content. But those who
desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and
harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds
of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1
Timothy 6:6-10).
the example of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their
splendor. ‘All this I will give
You,’ he said, ‘if You will bow down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your
God, and serve Him only.”’ Then the
devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him” (Matthew
4:8-11). This temptation was related to the lust of His eyes in His humanity—His
aesthetic nature.
The Pride of Life (spiritual
ambition) ~ Pride is one of the sins God tells us He absolutely abhors! (Proverbs 6:17)
Pride is a root of every sin. I
have to believe that pride in one’s spiritual
accomplishments, reputation, or position is at the top of God’s hatred of
pride! There is a story about the Prince
of Preachers who after preaching a message was told, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon, I
want you to know that was the greatest message you have ever preached!” To which, he immediately replied, “Thank you,
but the Devil already told me that!”
the example of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the
highest point of the temple. ‘If You are
the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw Yourself down.
For it is written: “He will
command his angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their
hands, so that You will not strike your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do
not put the Lord your God to the test”’” (Matthew 4:5-7). This temptation was related to the pride of life in His humanity—to His
reputation through display of His available power.
Observation ~ In all three of these dangerous
errors we find that things that are intrinsically good can quickly become idols
to us—causing us to drift from an intimate relationship with our Lord and
Savior.
The Bottom Line ~ “Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For
all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the
world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God
abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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