CrossCreek Students

The ultimate love story, in my opinion, is Romeo and Juliet.

To say the very least, Romeo and Juliet got swept up, and things got intense and exciting pretty quickly… But was it love? Or was it just lust?

Today we are going to learn the difference between love and lust and how to best guard our hearts against this sneaky sin!

Jesus doesn’t want us to just focus on our actions—only what people can see. He wants us to go deeper and also consider our intentions.

The phrase, "Anyone who even looks," shows that this command includes those who aren't married and that it's not just for guys to consider.

Does Jesus really mean we should gouge out our eyes or cut off our hands? What is He saying here?

Once it takes hold, lust can grow to the point that it controls you. That’s why Jesus is warning us that it’s better to catch lust before it even has a chance to grow to the point that it feels impossible to deal with.

TRUTH #1
Love builds up, but lust objectifies

TRUTH #2
Lust begins in the heart

What's the difference between actions and intentions? Why does Jesus care about the intentions of our hearts?

Whatever we let control our hearts will ultimately one day guide our actions, which leads to the third thing:

TRUTH #3
Lust can lead to even more dangerous territory

Hidden sin has a tricky way of convincing us that hiding our true selves from others is actually a good thing, but this only leads us to feeling alone in our struggles.

APPLICATION #1
Memorize Proverbs 4:23

APPLICATION #2
Evaluate the media you are consuming

Remember, true, godly love is much different than how love is portrayed in even the most well known stories. Love is selfless, while lust is selfish. Love builds up, while lust objectifies.