THE SINS OF GLUTTONY AND LUST

I began this series by suggesting that the deadly sins are not a replacement for the Ten Commandments but yet another way of viewing the same thing. As this series ends, I need to stress that there is really only one sin, however expressed, namely, idolatry. Not loving God will inevitably and inescapably lead to not loving others and self. Sin always is rooted in a broken relationship with God. It does not get any deadlier than that.

This evening I will speak of gluttony and lust in this sermon because they are essentially the same thing, though with obviously different expressions. Both are current crises in our culture even if that can be said of most cultures and other eras. Both are tied to abuses of God’s precious gifts. As with sloth, so also with gluttony, there can be genetic issues which to a point cannot be attributed to choice and are not, therefore, sin. With lust, all too frequently there have been sexual abuses in children which could affect his or her sexual disposition as adults. Where there are choices, in instances of gluttony or lust, the person making those choices must be held accountable.

That said, I promised last week additional quotes from Frederick Buechner, both from Wishful Thinking, a Theological ABC, 1973. I hope you believe as I do that these remain timely. "A glutton is one who raids the icebox (remember that contraption?) for a cure for spiritual malnutrition." "Lust", writes Buechner, "is the craving for salt of a man who is dying of thirst." In both, Buechner is short if not sweet in getting to the deadly aspects of these two sins.

I could and perhaps should rant and rave about fast food and cheap sex in our culture and country. There is a MacDonalds in Paris and a McDavids in Jerusalem. We exported those! But sex shops started in other places and came here. They did that! It all goes further back, however, and much deeper than the obvious, even though we ought to be concerned also about the obvious as well.

"Man does not live by bread alone," (Matthew 4:4), Jesus spoke in response to the tempter in the wilderness. Bread includes all the temporal and material stuff we have spoken of previously to be proud of, envious of, or angry about. Life, however, is more significantly a sacred and spiritual matter absolutely requiring spiritually nutritious food. Are we feeding on nutritious spiritual food? Here it is extremely important to distinguish between nutritious spiritual food and religious junk food so prevalent in our society: supermarket spirituality, drug store divinity, and television trooth.

It is as unfortunate as can be if it is true that the average Moslem is more familiar with the Quran and the average Jew with the Hebrew Scriptures than the average Christian is with the New Testament. Are you feeding on the Scriptures regularly? There are all sorts of things that can seep or creep into a void created by the ignorance of Scripture. Are you a person of prayer? ". . .we do not know how to pray as we ought. . ." (Romans 8:26b). Are we learning how to pray or still stuck on "Come Lord Jesus be our guest" or "Now I lay me down to sleep?" None of these spiritual dining disciplines will not keep us from temptation, but will surely help us not to give in but to overcome them.

"Looking with lust" (Matthew 5:28) is in the teaching of Jesus as no lesser a sin than its outward expression. Do we really believe that and avoid those peerings beyond the first glance? Oh, but so many of us are too old for that anyway! Perhaps! Lust is: 1) a desire to gratify the senses; 2) a sexual desire, often requiring gratification; or 3) an un-mastered desire, as in lust for power, recognition, etc. It is not just sex. Jesus accepts or tolerates no deadly thing, that is, lust for anything. In all of its expressions, perhaps obviously in sexual ways, lust is deadly because it treats all others as dead: the spouse of the other, ones own spouse, others somehow in the way. Even thinking about such things is deadly.

Cravings for food, drink, illicit drugs and the like are not unrelated. While craving for any or all food is not a crime, it is dynamically no different from a craving for things illegal. Those of us who have or still do smoke tobacco should be fully aware of how these sorts of things control a person, not to say anything about the expense of the product and the expense of treatment. "Self-control" is the last fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Are we allowing ourselves to be governed by anything less?

Please allow me to stress that there is professional and peer help for most addictions and cravings these days. Do not hesitate to use that help to come alive, because otherwise the behavior is deadly in the extreme.

As we close this series, I hope we are each and all opening anew a living world of deep and abiding prayer, of genuine and intelligent study of the Scriptures; of incredibly thankful faith in the forgiving love of Christ; and a re-invigorated if not brand new DESIRE to share with the world the good news of Jesus. My hunch is that to the extent that you have been able to withstand or overcome temptations on any of the seven deadly sins, it is because of your faith in Jesus Christ and the accompanying power of the Holy Spirit. Feed your faith! "Resist the devil and he will flee from you!" (James 4:7) Act on the holy desires!

St. Paul said it best: "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8)

The deadly sins are deadly because we allow them to be. May the God of grace and glory hold you tightly in His arms and keep you from all harm and danger! Amen!