When sexual desire rises, Satan shifts his missile carriers into high gear.

The rise of sexual desire does not mean victory for Satan. It means vulnerability to Satan. There's a very

simple truth at work here. You've all experienced it, whether in the area of sexuality or in the area of some other desire.

And the truth is simply this.

The stronger and bigger the desire we have for something, the more vulnerable we are to deceptive rationalizations to

justify satisfying it in a sinful way.

How does Satan use our sexual desire against us?

In this episode of Light and Truth,

John Piper opens the scriptures to show that the only way Satan can get you is by convincing you that his way of

satisfaction is preferable to God's.

The sermon was originally preached at Bethlehem Baptist Church on December 9, 1984.

There are four lessons in this text that I would like to lay out and unfold some briefly more others more extended.

One, celibacy is a gift from God to be celebrated. Number two, celibacy is not for everybody. Number three, marriage

is a dam against the flood of fornication and adultery in the world.

And number four, Satan uses sexual desire.

So let's take those one at a time and see what this text has to say about them.

Cellibacy is a gift to be celebrated.

You could call First Corinthians 7, Paul's Manifesto for the single life or for the unmarried life.

When he says in verse one, it is well for a man not to touch a woman.

He means the same thing that he does in verse 8, where he says,

to the unmarried and the widow, I say, that it is well for them to remain single as I do.

In other words, it is good not to touch a woman means it is good to be single. Paul was so completely committed to the life of celibacy that he wanted everybody to have it.

...