3 Sins to Avoid
Hook
Imagine a vessel with three holes near the bottom. Now try to fill the vessel with water. What happens? The water leaks out from the three holes of course, and the vessel is difficult to fill. The vessel represents our life. The three holes represent the three major areas in which we sin. Because of our sins, our lives arfe difficult to be filled.
Look
- Sins of the Flesh
- Sins of the Eyes
- Sins of Pride (the heart and mouth)
Key Verse
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust if the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." - 1 John 2: 15-16
Book
1 The focus on these verses is on th esinful desires. The flesh, the eyes and life are not sinful. It is the lust and pride that is sinful.
2 Sins of the flesh include: sexual immorality, masturbation, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, smoking, pills, drugs, and laziness.
3 Sins of the eyes include: covetousness, jealousy, envy, greed and idolatry.
4 Sins of pride: lust for power, high position, prestige, selfish ambition. These produce rage, dissensions, slander and hatred.
5 These things belong to the world system and not to God.
6 In the previous lesson, we were taught to love God. Now we learn not to love the world, neither the things in the world.
7 Satan used these three desires to tempt Adamand Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6- When the woman saw that that the fruit of the tree was good food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.) Eve saw that the fruit was good for food (the lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and that it could make one wise (the pride of life).
8 The desires themselves are sinful. In other words, you do not have to do the fleshly deeds to sin.
9 Consider billboard, TV and newspaper advertisements. Notice how they use these three (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life) to tempt you.
10 God commands you not to love the world nor the things of the world. But he does not command you to hate the things of the world. The proper balance is to use the things of the wprld for God and for others.
11 If you are not to love the things of the world then you must always hold them with 'an open hand'. In other words, be willing to surrender them to God when He wants you to give them back to Him or to someone else.
Took
Key Response: Do not love.
1 What are the sins of the flesh?
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. - Romans 13:13-14
2 Which of these "sins of the flesh" do you find most difficult to resist?
- Wild parties - Pills
- Drink/ Alcohol - Overeating
- Sexual immorality - Excessive sleep/ rest
-Smoking/ Drugs - __________
3 Why is the "lust of the eyes" never satisfied?
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? - Ecclesiaates 5: 10-11
3 Which of these "lust of the eyes" do you find to be evident in your life?
- Desire for status symbols
- Obsession to collect/ accumulate/ hoard
- Insistence on branded and expensive goods
- Unwholesome movies/ entertainment
- Impulsive buying/ spending
- Constant upgrading of material possessions
5 Case study: Your brother-in-law invites you to go to another city for some business venture. He tells you that the opportunity to make money will soon be over. Should you go with him or not?
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. - James 4:13-16
6 Which of the following desires of the "pride of life" do you find to be the most tempting?
- Pride - Desire for Popularity
- Lust for Power & Control - Lure of Politics
- Desire for Prestige - Striving for high Positions
7 Case study: A fellow church member tells you that he is thinking of buying an expensive car that is considered a status symbol in your country. You ask him why he wants to buy that car when his present car is not giving him any problems. He tells you that he was just promoted to be a manager in his company and all the other managers drive this kind of car. What is this church member tempted by? Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or the pride of life?
9 Why do you find such sins so difficult to resist?
- I face them every day.
- I have special weakness.
- Everyone else is doing it.
- I do not know how to rely on Christ's strength to overcome it.
-__________________________________________
11 How can you overcome the "lusts of the flesh?"
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. - Galatians 5: 16-17
12 What must you think about in order to have victory over sin?
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.- Colossians 3:1-2
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-think about such things. - Philippians 4:8
13 What must you know in order to have victory over sin?
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.- Galatians 5: 24
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.- Colossians 3:3
What sall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised form the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live in a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be untied with him in resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.- Romans 6:1-9
14 What must you know to resist being tempted by the boastful pride of this world?
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
15 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives the grace to the humble." - James 4: 6 (Resist the devil to overcome pride)
People whi want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith love endurance and gentleness. - 1 Timothy 6:9-11 (Flee from the love of money/things)
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. - 2 Timothy 2:22 (Flee from youthful (sexual) desires)
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