MESSAGE: Lust vs. Love | January 18, 2026

The second week of the series, "Beneath the Surface",  explores how lust is an all-consuming, selfish craving for things like power, success, status, or control. It is a good desire that has been corrupted beneath the surface. Lust is a destructive, soul-cancer that damages relationships, purpose, and identity. While Christ-like love (as seen in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8) is the “most excellent way” to live with influence and ambition without being mastered by them. Paul’s description of love reveals how love centers others while lust centers self. Rather than striving to master all sixteen qualities of love through effort alone, believers are called to fix their focus on Jesus, trusting that abiding in Him produces genuine love from the inside out. When Jesus becomes the focus, love becomes the foundation, and lust loses its power.