Matthew 5:27-30

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/The_Sermon_on_the_Mount.htm

Sexual immorality is one of the most damaging sins and is also one of the most tempting sins we face.  Murder, adultery and stealing are the three “big sins” in our minds.  They are certainly sins with great consequences.  Jesus begins by quoting the Law prohibiting adultery.  Most of us would feel comfortable saying that we have not committed the sin of adultery.  I was a virgin when I got married and have been faithful to my wife during our 30 years of marriage.  Jesus once again challenges the traditional way of thinking about this issue and calls us to focus on the heart of the issue as opposed to the sexual act itself.  Jesus wants to demonstrate that all of us have been guilty of breaking the law at the heart level.  Immoral acts spring from a lusting heart.  Self-discipline and fear of consequences may allow us to avoid sexual relations outside of marriage but the sin of immorality is a problem of the heart.  God’s righteousness demands a transformation of the heart not simply external conformity. 

THE STANDARD OF SEXUAL PURITY: The Pharisees took great pride in their strict standards in the area of sexuality.  Marriage was a requirement in order to be a Pharisee because marriage was considered to be a preventative factor in the area of morality.  Jesus reveals that God’s standard of sexual purity is far higher than refraining from sex outside of marriage.  The simple and all too common act of looking at another person lustfully is adultery in the heart.  Lust is the true problem that lurks in each of our hearts.  Even if we never act on our lusts, the very existence of lust reveals that our hearts are sinful and we desperately need salvation and transformation.  God’s standard of righteousness is far higher than any of us are able to attain.  We who, by God’s grace, have been able to avoid the act of sexual immorality must be very careful not to become proud of our purity.  There is no room for us to look down our noses at those who have committed acts of immorality.  The proper response to hearing of those who have fallen in this area is to humbly recognize that it is only by God’s grace that we have not acted on the lusts that we all have in our hearts.

THE SOLUTION FOR SEXUAL PURITY: The solution to the sin of lusting is to take radical steps to remove sexual stimulation from our eyes and our minds.  Jesus says that those who look at others with lust would be better off removing their right eye than to tolerate lust in the heart.  Jesus wants us to understand the seriousness of sin.  He goes so far as to say it would be better to amputate our right hand than to tolerate sin in our lives.  Being maimed and blind in this life is far better than facing eternal condemnation before God.  It is important to note that this practice is not to be taken literally.  It would do very little good to only gouge out our right eye because the left would still be able to provide lust producing images to our heart.  Our left hands are just as capable of sinning as our right hands.  The point Jesus is making is that we need to be willing to give up anything in order to avoid lust in our hearts.  For some that may mean getting rid of their television, for others it may mean not having wifi on their phones.  No matter how convenient certain things might be to us; they are not worth keeping if they are stimulating immoral thoughts and lust in our hearts.  We all need to regularly evaluate the influences on our lives that stimulate immoral thoughts.  If we are being tempted in our places of employment for whatever reason; unemployment would be preferable to tolerating lusts in our minds.


APPLICATION: Humbly recognize the lust that is lurking in our hearts.  Take sexual temptation very seriously and never make peace with lust in our hearts.  Take intentional and radical steps to remove lustful stimulation from our lives.  Seek for regular and honest accountability in the area of sexual temptation.  Graciously seek to restore those who have fallen into sexual sin.

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