Lust and love! – Matthew 5:27-32
Lust and love! – Matthew 5:27-32
By Pastor Lee Hemen
March 17, 2013
Our society as a whole often confuses lust and love. It has become more of a concern because we have begun to endorse and even encourage perverted lifestyles because we have blurred the lines between the two. Young children are often caught in the crosshairs of politically correct garbage rather than the truth. Some are undergoing chemical, physical, and emotional sex changes in order to sooth the ungodly consciences of adults. Sadly we will reap the consequences of such ungodly and perverted politically correctness.
Here in Matthew’s gospel we see Jesus meeting head on the age old ungodliness of sexuality. He confronts how people viewed marriage and sexual relationships. With the Internet and the rise of pornography addiction we need to look again at what Jesus taught about lust and love and why…
READ: Matthew 5:27-32
We must remind ourselves that here in the beatitudes Jesus deliberately used extreme examples in order to gain the crowd’s attention. He wanted them to be shocked to their senses in order for them to begin to think about their worldview and whether they actually lived for the Lord or not. We discover…
I. The cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical! (Vv. 27-30)
You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, 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. And if your right 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 go into hell.
1. There is more to one’s faith than just feeling good about one’s self. If all we needed to do was a few good things once in a while in order to make ourselves feel better about ourselves Jesus did not have to come to earth, walk among us, cruelly suffer and die on a cross, and be raised from the dead! We could do Habitat for Humanity, join the Peace Corps, or mow the widow’s lawn next door. Marching for a cause may make you feel good and show the world you’re serious about something but the intent of your heart is what God truly looks at. It is this intent that gets most of us into trouble. This is exactly why Jesus focuses the crowd by reminding them that “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’” Jesus was referencing Exodus 20:14 where God gave the commandment “You shall not commit adultery.” The Pharisees knew the commandments and meticulously followed them but they had totally missed the point, just as many believers do in our day! They were only concerned with the outward act. God is not as concerned with the outward act as he is concerned for the inner heart of a person. This is why James, Jesus’ brother would write: “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15 NIV)” Jesus goes on to relate, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Wow! We need to be aware of where our hearts (everything that makes us who we are) resides because the cure can be far worse than the cause: “If your right eye causes you to sin, 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. And if your right 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 go into hell.” Was Jesus advocating dismembering or disfiguring one’s body to resolve their sin condition? Nope, what he was doing was focusing on the enormity of the power of sin in one’s life! The cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical!
EXAMPLE: There’s an old story about a country doctor who gave his patient a total examination, he scratched his head in bewilderment, and asked, “Have you had this before?” When the patient answered, “Yes,” the doctor wrinkled his brow and said, “Well, you’ve got it again.” There’s nothing as frustrating as a problem that defies diagnosis. What a relief it is to find a skilled doctor who can say with confidence, “This is your problem and this treatment will help.” Jesus as the Great Physician has given us the cure for the ultimate disease! We discover there that the cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical and in Jesus we have the cure!
When we sin we often forget what it destroys relationships, our self-esteem, and our standing with a holy God! Lust can destroy our marriage as well. The ungodly view of marriage in Jesus’ day had left many women destitute simply because their ungodly husbands had treated them so horrendously. Here we discover…
II. Marriage is sacred! (Vv. 31-32)
It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.” But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
1. Nothing in our society today has suffered as much as marriage. Contrary to what some would have you believe, divorce is not the same among believing Christians and the world. In Jesus’ day the view of women was completely ungodly. They were basically relegated to being the property of men. God had never intended the relationship between a husband and wife to be seen this way or to be practiced the way it was during the lifetime of Jesus. Believe me he is just as disgusted with how we view marriage. While we may not see women as property how both men and women have disdained the sacredness of marriage is disgusting. Jesus goes right to the heart of the issue during his day by relating, “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’” Jesus was introducing his argument with a well known truth. Among the Jewish leaders were two schools of thought regarding divorce: 1) There were those who said it was permissible for a husband to divorce his wife for any reason at all like burning the soup or keeping a messy house, but the other group 2) said divorce was permissible only for a major offense. In Jesus’ response, the Lord strongly taught that marriage is viewed by God as a special relationship between a man and a woman and the Lord! Jesus was not giving us specific regulations to adhere to concerning marriage but rather he was teaching how horrible their view of their marriage vow was! Notice what he tells them: “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” Improperly trying to dispose of one’s wife was tacitly making her sin and that sin was just as horrendous! Again Jesus is trying to help people see that the intent of a person’s heart was extremely important to God. When we marry someone we are giving them our lives and it is similar to us giving our lives to God! When later asked by the nearsighted Pharisees if it was okay for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason, Jesus replied, “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law… but at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will ‘become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. (Mark 10:5-9 NIV)” In fact when a man and a woman marry it is a sacred commitment and should not be disdained or handled improperly!
EXAMPLE: There are those that think that by simply living together they can bypass the sacredness of marriage and ignore what God teaches us about this relationship. They are wrong because when they do they are committing adultery. And there is no reason for the couple to stay together or to be committed to being faithful. Interestingly it was recently disclosed that Ciara and Russell Wilson remained abstinent until after their wedding, and now the singer is opening up about the couple's decision, explaining that it wasn't easy. “That took a lot of prayer,” the 33-year-old admitted to InStyle in a recent interview. “It was hard. I can't lie.” The star, who graced the fashion magazine's April cover issue, had previously spoken about her and Wilson's decision, noting that “you shouldn't feel like you have to give your body away to get someone to like you.” God sees it as something special and when you give yourself away before being totally committed you will suffer the consequences of that decision. Jesus taught that marriage is sacred!
Conclusion:
The cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical and that marriage is sacred!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
March 17, 2013
Our society as a whole often confuses lust and love. It has become more of a concern because we have begun to endorse and even encourage perverted lifestyles because we have blurred the lines between the two. Young children are often caught in the crosshairs of politically correct garbage rather than the truth. Some are undergoing chemical, physical, and emotional sex changes in order to sooth the ungodly consciences of adults. Sadly we will reap the consequences of such ungodly and perverted politically correctness.
Here in Matthew’s gospel we see Jesus meeting head on the age old ungodliness of sexuality. He confronts how people viewed marriage and sexual relationships. With the Internet and the rise of pornography addiction we need to look again at what Jesus taught about lust and love and why…
READ: Matthew 5:27-32
We must remind ourselves that here in the beatitudes Jesus deliberately used extreme examples in order to gain the crowd’s attention. He wanted them to be shocked to their senses in order for them to begin to think about their worldview and whether they actually lived for the Lord or not. We discover…
I. The cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical! (Vv. 27-30)
You have heard that it was said, “Do not commit adultery.” But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, 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. And if your right 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 go into hell.
1. There is more to one’s faith than just feeling good about one’s self. If all we needed to do was a few good things once in a while in order to make ourselves feel better about ourselves Jesus did not have to come to earth, walk among us, cruelly suffer and die on a cross, and be raised from the dead! We could do Habitat for Humanity, join the Peace Corps, or mow the widow’s lawn next door. Marching for a cause may make you feel good and show the world you’re serious about something but the intent of your heart is what God truly looks at. It is this intent that gets most of us into trouble. This is exactly why Jesus focuses the crowd by reminding them that “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’” Jesus was referencing Exodus 20:14 where God gave the commandment “You shall not commit adultery.” The Pharisees knew the commandments and meticulously followed them but they had totally missed the point, just as many believers do in our day! They were only concerned with the outward act. God is not as concerned with the outward act as he is concerned for the inner heart of a person. This is why James, Jesus’ brother would write: “each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15 NIV)” Jesus goes on to relate, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Wow! We need to be aware of where our hearts (everything that makes us who we are) resides because the cure can be far worse than the cause: “If your right eye causes you to sin, 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. And if your right 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 go into hell.” Was Jesus advocating dismembering or disfiguring one’s body to resolve their sin condition? Nope, what he was doing was focusing on the enormity of the power of sin in one’s life! The cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical!
EXAMPLE: There’s an old story about a country doctor who gave his patient a total examination, he scratched his head in bewilderment, and asked, “Have you had this before?” When the patient answered, “Yes,” the doctor wrinkled his brow and said, “Well, you’ve got it again.” There’s nothing as frustrating as a problem that defies diagnosis. What a relief it is to find a skilled doctor who can say with confidence, “This is your problem and this treatment will help.” Jesus as the Great Physician has given us the cure for the ultimate disease! We discover there that the cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical and in Jesus we have the cure!
When we sin we often forget what it destroys relationships, our self-esteem, and our standing with a holy God! Lust can destroy our marriage as well. The ungodly view of marriage in Jesus’ day had left many women destitute simply because their ungodly husbands had treated them so horrendously. Here we discover…
II. Marriage is sacred! (Vv. 31-32)
It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.” But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.
1. Nothing in our society today has suffered as much as marriage. Contrary to what some would have you believe, divorce is not the same among believing Christians and the world. In Jesus’ day the view of women was completely ungodly. They were basically relegated to being the property of men. God had never intended the relationship between a husband and wife to be seen this way or to be practiced the way it was during the lifetime of Jesus. Believe me he is just as disgusted with how we view marriage. While we may not see women as property how both men and women have disdained the sacredness of marriage is disgusting. Jesus goes right to the heart of the issue during his day by relating, “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’” Jesus was introducing his argument with a well known truth. Among the Jewish leaders were two schools of thought regarding divorce: 1) There were those who said it was permissible for a husband to divorce his wife for any reason at all like burning the soup or keeping a messy house, but the other group 2) said divorce was permissible only for a major offense. In Jesus’ response, the Lord strongly taught that marriage is viewed by God as a special relationship between a man and a woman and the Lord! Jesus was not giving us specific regulations to adhere to concerning marriage but rather he was teaching how horrible their view of their marriage vow was! Notice what he tells them: “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” Improperly trying to dispose of one’s wife was tacitly making her sin and that sin was just as horrendous! Again Jesus is trying to help people see that the intent of a person’s heart was extremely important to God. When we marry someone we are giving them our lives and it is similar to us giving our lives to God! When later asked by the nearsighted Pharisees if it was okay for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason, Jesus replied, “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law… but at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will ‘become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. (Mark 10:5-9 NIV)” In fact when a man and a woman marry it is a sacred commitment and should not be disdained or handled improperly!
EXAMPLE: There are those that think that by simply living together they can bypass the sacredness of marriage and ignore what God teaches us about this relationship. They are wrong because when they do they are committing adultery. And there is no reason for the couple to stay together or to be committed to being faithful. Interestingly it was recently disclosed that Ciara and Russell Wilson remained abstinent until after their wedding, and now the singer is opening up about the couple's decision, explaining that it wasn't easy. “That took a lot of prayer,” the 33-year-old admitted to InStyle in a recent interview. “It was hard. I can't lie.” The star, who graced the fashion magazine's April cover issue, had previously spoken about her and Wilson's decision, noting that “you shouldn't feel like you have to give your body away to get someone to like you.” God sees it as something special and when you give yourself away before being totally committed you will suffer the consequences of that decision. Jesus taught that marriage is sacred!
Conclusion:
The cure for the sin of inner adultery is radical and that marriage is sacred!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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