It's still a heart issue!!
Matthew
5:27-30
Jesus continues to show what He meant in Matthew 5:20: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of
the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom
of heaven.”
Exodus 20:14 (NLT)
“You must not
commit adultery."
To the Pharisees, righteousness was only external. But to
Jesus, it was both external and internal. One could commit adultery without
literally sleeping with a person besides their spouse.
The Pharisees
had no sense of inward sin!
·
They felt that you only sinned when you
committed the act
·
Jesus changed the rules and was saying, if you
lust after the person in the mind, you commit the sin
So
let’s look at adultery and see what Jesus has to say!
Matthew 5:27–30 (NLT)
Teaching
about Adultery
27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit
adultery.’* 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has
already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye*—causes you to lust, gouge
it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand*—causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your
body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell."
Let’s Talk
about Sex!
Matthew 5:27 (NLT) “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not
commit adultery.’"
Sex is not
bad!!
You have to
say that God made sex fun.
·
Sex was not born in Hollywood, but at the
throne of grace.
·
God gave sex to His creation—sexual desire
being a natural, physical appetite.
·
It is
not merely a psychological desire, it is a physiological desire—like eating.
o
There is no command that says, “Be sure to
eat.”
o
If you don’t have a good appetite, there is
something wrong with you.
·
We are created as sexual beings.
·
But sexual activity is legitimized only by
marriage. (God Says)
o
“For this reason a man will leave his father
and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."
o The man and his wife were both naked, and they
felt no shame…
Why the
seventh Commandment?
Exodus 20:14 (ESV)
14“You
shall not commit adultery."
· To insure the
stability of the family
· To protect
the children
o
Kids from broken homes are emotionally scarred
· To protect your
spouse
o
Devastating to self-esteem
o
Devastating to self-worth
· It was
created for our own good
o
But like always, we think we know best
o
Like always, we want to pick and choose what
parts of our lives we give control to God
o
And like always, we get it wrong and create
excuses for why we do what we do! And when we go against God's law!
And just like
today the Law failed!
The powers to
be in Jesus day lost sight of the spirit of the law!
Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV) "For as he
thinks in his heart, so is he."
Life, living
in the Spirit of Christ, is a much higher standard than that of the Mosaic Law.
· If you
evaluate the Ten Commandments through Old Testament eyes (before Jesus
interpreted them)—as the ultimate standard of morality—you put the bar much
lower than Jesus would do.
· Those
who live by the Ten Commandments, without the Holy Spirit, could find loopholes
that enabled them to feel they were above sin.
o
Sex with a single woman was ok.
o
Polygamy was ok.
o
This gave everyone a way out.
· They
lost the spirit of God's commands! And Jesus brings God's intent for the law to
life with His perfect interpretation of the law!
· Jesus’ teaching is wider and deeper than that
of the Mosaic Law.
o
Lusting
is committing adultery in the heart.
Stages of
adultery
Normal
attraction
· This is not a
sin.
· It's normal
to notice a person who attracts you.
· Beauty is in
the eye of the beholder.
Temptation
· Being tempted
is not a sin. (James 1:13)
· But you are
crossing a line.
· This is very
dangerous territory!
o
We have fallen in to the devil's play ground.
o
It's the second glance.
o
It's the fence we don’t want to sit on!
· Jesus was tempted in every way but never sinned. (Hebrews 4:15)
Obsession
2 Peter 2:14 (ESV) "They
have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls.
They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!"
· Sin starts
here
· When the
temptation has taken over
· This is what
Jesus is talking about
o
Sin of the heart
o
This is lusting!
· You're obsessed
day and night
· Excessive
flirting
· Relationship
damage starts here
· You can’t
love one and lust for another
· Porn lives
here
o
I hear all the time “it's not really hurting
anyone.”
o
It hurts everyone around you!
The Physical
Act
· This is the
worst of all.
· Don’t let
anyone fool you, lust is bad, this is worse
· It brings
o
Grief
o
Loss of self-esteem
o
Division in your relationship
o
And most likely divorce
· Don’t let
Satan fool you. 30 seconds of fun is not worth a life of shame and misery.
o
Hollywood might glamorize it, but it is
devastating to your spouse and your kids.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Matthew 5:29–30 (NLT)
29 So if your eye—even your good
eye*—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you
to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand*—causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your
body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
We must do
whatever it takes to prevent the temptation to take over
· These are
metaphors for doing what it takes.
· I don’t care
what we have to do.
· If it's painful, do it.
· If it's embarrassing, do it.
· If it's counseling, do it.
· If it's walking away from a job or person, do
it!
We will feel
punishment
· (Internal)If the spirit guides you, heed this
internal warning
o
This is God showing you the Sin before it
happens
o
At that point, we must walk away
· (External)If God exposes your sin, heed this
earthly warning and repent
o
He might take your family
o
He might take your job
o
Sanctification can ,and will, be painful if we
avoid the guidance of the Holy Spirit
· (Judgment Seat)Or you could
find yourself before the Judgment seat of God!
1 Corinthians 3:12–15 (NLT)
"12 Anyone
who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver,
jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal
what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a
person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will
receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder
will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely
escaping through a wall of flames."
Sexual sin destroys lives, SO STOP!
· Sexual sin
brings incalculable sin on the Church and God’s name.
o
Billy Graham reckons that the devil brings
down 75 percent of God’s best people through sexual sin.
· Porn is as
bad in the church as it is in the world, it is wrecking homes and lives.
· Sex in the
work place, even at churches among the congregation, across the nation, is out of
control
You
may say, “Well, I’ve already sinned—it’s too late. I might as well continue.”
That would be the advice of the devil. Don’t be a fool.
· If you’re
tempted by another, seek wise counsel.
· If you’re
tempting another to sin, STOP IT!
· If you’re
lusting after another, STOP IT!
· If you’re
involved in an affair—or are on the brink of an affair—STOP IT!
· Break it off. Do it now.
It
starts in the heart, all of us have sinned. We can be forgiven, so repent right
now. Jesus showed Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness to the woman who was caught in
adultery—to the grief of the Pharisees. And He will show you Mercy if you lay
your sins at His feet!
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