I can resist anything except temptation Oscar Wilde

“I can resist anything except temptation. ” Oscar Wilde Lecture 2: Biblical View of Sex: Using “pleasure” to promote or demote the reflective glory of God!

Consequences of Sexual Addiction: From watching the documentary by Dr. James Dobson, Pornography: Addictive, Progressive, and Deadly, consider the following DEADLY consequences that flow from a sex-saturated, worldly, and sinful mindset: 1. Damaging, painful legacy on those we love and know. 2. Emerging self-centeredness dominates as appetites grow and become insatiable. 3. Activities we would not otherwise consider (law of diminishing returns) begin to be pursued. 4. Devaluing the inherent value of others (we treat others as a means to an end). 5. Lack of satisfaction with spouse develops (growing sense of isolation). 6. Expectations about intimacy become unrealistic. 7. Your conscience becomes calloused; sense of right and wrong become blurred.

Why did Rome become a ruin? In The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1787), Edward Gibbon (who was no fan of Christianity) lists the following reasons for that fall: 1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society. 2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace. 3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal. 4. The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within: the decadence of the people. 5. The decay of religion-faith fading into mere form-losing touch with life and becoming important to guide the people.

Define pleasure? “I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure” John D. Rockefeller “Illusion is the first of all pleasure. ” Oscar Wilde. “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. ” Walter Begehot. “Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it. ” Soren Kierkegaard. “That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. ” Henry David Thoreau “Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another. ” Madonna

Define pleasure? “Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it. ” Thomas Jefferson. “Many people weigh the guilt they feel against the pleasure of the forbidden action they want to take. Peter Mc. Williams. “Partake of some of life’s sweet pleasures. And yes, get comfortable with yourself. ” Oprah “Never let the demands of tomorrow interfere with the pleasures and excitement of today. ” Meredith Wilson “Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing. ” George Sheehan “Pleasure is the beginning and end of living happily. ” Epicurus

Consider this statement: 1. Why do we yearn for pleasure? 2. Why is our passion for pleasure relentless & inescapable?

Definition of Pleasure: English (noun): 1. Desire, inclination (“wait upon his pleasure”) 2. A state of gratification 3. A sensual gratification 4. A source of delight or joy Pleasure (verb): 1. [Transitive] to give pleasure to (gratify) 2. To give pleasure to 3. [Intransitive] To take pleasure (delight) 4. To seek pleasure

“Hamad” of Genesis 2: 9: The “Hamad” of Genesis 2: 9: “The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the midst of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ”

Desirable: Genesis 3: 6 The “Hamad” of Genesis 3: 6 “Then the woman saw the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ”

“Hamad” of Wisdom Literature: 1. Psalm 19: 11 [10]: “God’s instruction is more desirable [“hamad”] than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. ” 2. Prov. 21: 20: “There is desirable [“hamad”] treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise. But a foolish man squanders it. ”

Desirable; pleasurable (Heb. verb): “hamad” • Covet, lust, desire, i. e. , strongly desire another’s possessions. • Delight, to be fond of & take pleasure in an object or action. • Treasure, wealth, formally, coveted, i. e. , pertaining to a collection of objects which constitute far more than normal in society.

“Delight” in Genesis 3: 6: “Desirable” is “hamad” (verb): 3 Nuances: 1. Covet, lust, desire, i. e. , strongly desire another’s possessions (Ex. 20: 17; 34: 24; Dt. 5: 21; 7: 25; Jos. 7: 21; Pr. 6: 25; 12: 12; Isa. 53: 3; Mic. 2: 2, etc). 2. Delight, i. e. , to be fond of and take pleasure in an object or action (qal) (Ps. 68: 17; Pr. 1: 22; Isa. 1: 29); (nif); be pleasing, be desirable, be choice to the eye (Gen. 2: 9; 3: 6; Ps. 19: 11; Prv. 21: 20; (piel) delight; 3. Treasure, wealth, formally coveted, i. e. , pertaining to a collection of objects which constitute far more that normal in society (Job. 20: 20; Ps. 39: 12; Isa. 44: 9).

Consider the following thesis statement stated three different ways by John Piper in Sex and the Supremacy of Christ: “Sexuality is designed by God as a way to know God in Christ more fully…knowing God in Christ more fully is designed as a way of guarding and guiding our sexuality (pg. 26). ” “…all misuses of our sexuality distort the true knowledge of Christ. And, …, all misuses of our sexuality derive from not having the true knowledge of Christ” (pg. 26). “all sexual corruption serves to conceal the true knowledge of Christ, but the true knowledge of Christ serves to prevent sexual corruption” (pg. 26).

Sexuality is Designed by God as a way to Know God more Fully: What biblical justification do we have for this statement (within context)? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.