"Lust"

Well, good morning. It's good to see you here. As we turn to God's Word, we are going to be talking

this morning about sexual righteousness. I want to start by saying this is not a hobby horse of

our church that we pick on. We're preaching on this passage because it's the next one in the

series. We're looking through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7, and this is the next

passage and the topic that Jesus brings to us this morning. But I'm not going to apologize for

preaching on this either because we need to be talking about this. We live in a culture

which is increasingly and intensely sexualized. I am a reader of the New York Times. It is

remarkable to me the topics of articles that I can read in the New York Times about

things that I don't even want to speak about here in this building, about sexuality and the

different ways in which our culture is embracing diverse and, may I say it, destructive expressions

of sexuality. I don't think our culture is particularly more sexualized than other times

in history. If you go back to the first century, you look at the practice of temple prostitution.

This is not, there's nothing new under the sun. This has been true of humanity since humanity was

created and fell into sin. But certainly we live in a day where particularly with our technology,

we have a particular kind of pressure in our world to be thinking about sex and lifting up the value

of sex all the time. So that's the first reason why we need to be talking about this. The second

reason we need to be talking about this is because the church has failed in its calling to be different.

You can read the statistics. Oh, they're marginally better in some surveys. Don't be completely distressed

by this. But it's nowhere near distinctly different than the world around us. The headlines continue to be

filled with spiritual leaders in the church and not the church out there, in our tribe, people that we know,

sometimes people that we've personally known or followed or read who've fallen in to sexual sin.

The last reason why we need to talk about this is because of the context of this passage this morning.

If you want to turn with me to Matthew chapter 5, page 760 in your pew Bibles.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

We're looking at Matthew 5, verses 27 through 30.

Matthew 5:27–30

But you remember the context. If you've been here the last couple of weeks, you remember back in verses 17 through 20,

Jesus said, I have not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And what we read in that was that Jesus was saying,

I am the thing to which the Old Testament law points to, and I am now putting myself in the center of what is the new kingdom that God is bringing.

And I'm going to teach you what it looks like to be in my kingdom.

And Jesus comes to us as a king this morning to say, this is how to take hold of kingdom life with me.

These are the patterns of how you live. This is what it looks like to have, if you remember verse 20,

a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees.

And so, we need to hear this word because Jesus has spoken it to us.

So, with that, let me pray.

And then I'll read God's word.

And then we'll look at it together.

Lord, help us this morning.

We confess that our hearts just want to flee in this moment.

Lord, we don't want to sit under your word.

We love our independence too much.

And Lord, some even now are feeling as well the enemy of our souls throwing accusations of shame and guilt.

Lord, I pray this morning that by your Holy Spirit,

you might help us to see the high calling and the greater grace

that you give us as we talk about these things.

Lord, be with me.

Help me to speak your words.

May we sit under your word together this morning, we pray.

In Jesus' name.

So, Jesus,

in verse 27 of Matthew 5,

says this,

This is not a radical summary of this,

but here's the big idea.

Jesus calls us,

his people,

to a radical kingdom,

sexual righteousness.

Why do I use this phrase?

Because I just don't want to keep saying sex, sex, sex all the time.

I want to broaden it out.

I want us to be thinking more broadly.

It's a kingdom sexual righteousness

that has to do with how we relate to our king.

And it's not just about avoiding sin.

It is a righteousness,

a path that God has laid out for us

of right living

that we would follow it.

And it is about sex.

So, let's get into it.

Here's my outline for those of you who are outline takers.

We're going to talk about Jesus' definition

of kingdom sexual righteousness.

We're going to talk about the significance

that Jesus gives

to sexual kingdom righteousness.

And then we're going to talk about Jesus' power

to live

kingdom sexual righteousness.

So, firstly,

verses 27 and 28,

Jesus' definition

of sexual righteousness.

It is a pattern that we've already seen

and we're going to keep repeating.

The heart of this command

is an internal thing,

not an external thing.

We see this throughout this section,

starting in verse 21.

Jesus says,

You have heard it said,

but I say to you,

you have heard it said.

This is an external practice of religion

that the Pharisees in the first century

embraced and lived on.

And Jesus is saying,

But I tell you that the heart of my kingdom

has to do with the heart of humanity

as it relates to God.

And so, Jesus says,

There is a seventh commandment.

Do not commit adultery.

You can read it in Exodus 20,

part of what God gave to Moses.

And, you know,

the Pharisees in the first century said,

That's it.

The physical act.

If you don't commit

the physical act of adultery,

then you can say,

I've kept this commandment.

Oddly how thankful we might be

if we could even do this.

Before we go on

to talk about the heart center,

we might want to talk briefly about

why did God give this command at all?

Because this is very different thinking

from our culture today, right?

But here's the thing.

Our sex life is woven into this

beautiful tapestry

throughout Scripture

of what God has created

human beings to do.

And in Genesis 1,

He created humanity,

male and female,

and He said,

Be fruitful and multiply.

Guess what?

That means they had sex.

So they could have babies.

So they could fulfill this.

But it wasn't just for that.

It was more than that.

It was also for their companionship

and for their complementary.

That is,

in two different bodies

coming together,

this beautiful picture

of a oneness.

So God said,

The two shall become one flesh.

And this is true in our heart

and in our soul

and in our lives

as well as in our physical actions.

And God gives us

beautiful gift

to humanity

in Genesis 1.

And yet we see

in Genesis 3

that humanity

rebelled against God

and rejected His ways.

And we see throughout

the whole rest of

human history,

certainly biblical history,

that humanity

misuses sex

to its detriment,

to its harm.

There are lots of examples,

but they're descriptive.

And there's,

with the exception

of maybe Ruth,

I couldn't think

of another good example

where maybe there was

a picture of something

beautiful

about human sexuality.

Usually it's the aberration

that is depicted

in the Old Testament.

But we do see this thread

of marriage

and sexuality

being woven through

the Old Testament.

Oh, I forgot.

Song of Solomon.

The Song of Solomon

is also there

to tell us about

the glories

and the joys,

the delight

and pleasure

that sex in marriage

is meant for us

to have

and to enjoy.

But we also see

this thread

where this marriage

between man and woman,

this picture,

isn't the end

in itself

for humanity.

But God created us

with this picture

of two becoming one,

this marriage,

so that we might

actually understand

God and His love

for us.

And so we read

in places like Hosea

that God loved His people

like a faithful husband,

like a spouse

who pursued in love

and grace,

an unfaithful wife

who broke the covenant

again and again and again.

And we see

as we go to the New Testament,

God brings these ideas together

in Ephesians 5

and says

that the coming together

of a man and woman

in marriage

is meant to picture

God's love for the church

and the Savior's love

as He lays down His life

to serve

and to save the church

and for the church

to be one that responds

to this loving action

with devotion

and submission.

And we see

as we get to the end

of the storyline,

John prayed about it earlier,

and sorry,

I get choked.

There's a day coming

when we,

the bride of Christ,

will be made new

and sin will be gone

and Jesus will know us

completely and fully

and we will know Him

and we will worship Him

and we will experience

at the,

what is called

in Revelation,

the end of Revelation,

19, 20, 21,

the wedding feast

of the Lamb.

We will come

and be the bride

and He will be

our bridegroom

and we will know

that the greatest sex

we've ever encountered here

is just a foretaste.

It's a nibble

of the joy

and delight

and intimacy

of knowing Jesus

and being known by Him

and being loved by Him.

And this is what God

created it for,

a signpost

for something far greater

and our culture

has made it the end.

This is why

the Bible talks

about sexual sin

because its purpose

is glorious

and our sin

stains it

and corrupts it.

And Jesus says

it's not just

about the act.

He says

if anyone

looks at a woman

with lustful intent,

he has committed

adultery with her

in his heart.

What does it mean

to look with lustful intent?

Well,

there's this process,

isn't there?

There's a seeing,

there's an activation

of our senses.

And in response

to that senses,

lots of commentators

brought this up,

I thought it was really,

there's an imagination

that arouses in us.

There's a something

that arouses

in our minds

and in our hearts

that we want,

that we desire.

And then we take

this desire

and we apply it

to something we see

or someone that we see

with lustful intent

that is a passion

that is not pure,

that is not loving,

that is not serving,

but it is a desire

to covet for oneself.

It is selfish

in orientation.

It is to control

the other person

for one's own pleasure.

It is to use

the other person

to objectify them

to gain what we desire.

And this is what Jesus means

by looking with lustful intent.

There's a great story

in the Bible about this.

Look at 2 Samuel 11.

David,

who should be out to war,

but he wasn't,

he was up on his roof

and he saw the woman.

And the scripture says

he saw him

and she was very beautiful.

And David sent

and inquired about the woman

and David sent messengers

and took her

and she came to him

and he lay with her.

He saw her.

She was someone else's husband.

But David said,

I don't care about that.

I want her for myself.

I'm going to take her

and I'm going to make her mine

and I'm going to use her

for my pleasure.

This is the picture

of lustful intent.

And David did it physically,

but we do it in our minds,

don't we?

And our imaginations

may go in different places

because we're all different.

But in the end,

it's this sinful desire

to have and control

that is at the center of it.

And Jesus says,

when we do this,

when we think in these ways,

we've committed adultery

in our hearts.

We are just like those

who have done it physically.

Now, some of you may be thinking,

well, Jesus is just talking

about a man looking at a woman

and this is about adultery

and I'm not married,

so this isn't about me.

This is about someone else.

Well, John Stott argues this

and I agree with him.

He says,

to argue that the reference

is only to a man

lusting after a woman

and not vice versa

and only to a married man

and not to an unmarried

since the offender

is said to commit adultery,

not fornication,

is to be guilty

of the very casuistry,

that is the very kind

of thinking

that the Pharisees used

to limit the effect

of the command,

the very casuistry

which Jesus was condemning

in the Pharisees.

His argument is that any

and every sexual practice

which is immoral indeed

is also immoral

in look and in thought.

Jesus says,

you need a righteousness

that is greater

than the Pharisees

and this is for all of us,

single, married, widowed

and we see it throughout

the whole New Testament.

It's in Romans 1,

it's in 1 Corinthians 5-7,

it's in Galatians 5,

it's in Ephesians 5,

it's in Colossians 3,

it's in the passage

that Richard read earlier

in 1 Thessalonians 4.

Repeatedly over and over again,

the kingdom commands

is to avoid this way.

Now, I want to give

some clarifications here.

First of all,

it doesn't mean

that all attraction

is lustful intent.

it is actually possible

to look at something

and appreciate a beauty

without desiring to control it

and use it

for your own selfish good.

In our sexualized culture,

it feels almost like a pipe dream,

but it is actually possible to do.

And secondly,

we need to recognize

that not all sexual desire

is inherently sinful.

Certainly within a marriage,

it is a glorious thing, right?

And to recognize

that you have a desire for this

that you don't allow

to control you

and that doesn't affect

the way that you perceive

other people,

there can be an honest desire

for that

that can be righteous

when you don't use people

to get it.

And thirdly,

we need to recognize

that there's a distinction

between sin and temptation.

Martin Luther famously

was quoted as saying,

you can't keep the birds

from flying over your head,

but you can keep them

from nesting in your hair.

What does that mean?

It means that you may see things

that will begin to tickle

your imagination

and lead you down this path,

but you can stop it there.

You have not sinned

where you recognize,

oh, that's a temptation

for me to do more.

But when you say,

oh, well,

now that I've seen it,

what else can I do?

I'm just gonna,

I'm gonna cherish

that thought for a while.

I'm gonna let it marinate.

I'm gonna ponder on,

I'm gonna meditate

on this thing

that I'm seeing

and I'm gonna let it

capture my heart

and let it lead me

down this path

of destruction.

There's a distinction

between the moment

of temptation

and the falling into sin.

And this is where

the battle is fought.

And I wanna say to you

that there is an alternative.

It is possible

with the gospel

to look at men and women

and to say,

they are people

made in God's image

worthy of honor

and dignity.

They are,

as men and women,

under the fall,

worthy of compassion

and grace and truth.

As men and women,

they are in need

of God's love

and grace.

We can show them.

One of the best things

you can do

if you find yourself

falling down this trap

is look someone

in the eye.

Look at them

in their face

and that will remind you

that they are people

and not objects

to be longed after

and lusted after.

But they're people

made in God's image.

Jesus says to us,

if we look at another

with lustful intent,

we have committed adultery

in our hearts.

So we have to ask ourselves

some uncomfortable questions.

How do we look

at other people?

What do we feed

with our eyes?

Not just the really bad stuff,

but what do we feed

that's commonplace?

Where do you see

your own heart

and your own imagination

wandering?

Is Jesus' kingdom

sexual righteousness

characteristic

of your life

in your heart

as well as

in your actions?

Jesus goes on,

verses 29 through 30,

to talk about

the significance of this

as he sees it.

Jesus in these two verses

talk about

the weight

that this is carrying

because he says,

if something

causes you to sin

in this way,

that there's,

in context,

it's saying,

if these things,

if your eye

causes you to sin,

pluck it out.

If your hand

causes you to sin,

cut it off.

Now,

despite a few

possibly apocryphal stories

from church history

about people

who actually literally

physically did this

and did things like

castrate themselves

in order to not sin,

I don't think

that's an appropriate

application.

He's not talking

about self-mutilation.

Martin Lloyd-Jones

has a great image

in his commentary

on this

where he says,

how far do we have

to go

to cut off our members

that cause us to sin?

We end up like

the guy in Mighty Python,

just a torso saying,

I think I'm getting better.

Sorry,

if you don't know that,

it's a random,

but we can't cut off

our body enough

to remove it

because the sin

resides in our heart.

So this is a metaphor.

He's using a figure

of speech

to say

that it's something

different.

And for Jesus,

he says,

the stakes are eternal.

If we continue

to be drawn

down this path,

if we continue

to cherish

these things

more than God

and his kingdom,

then we are walking

away from Jesus.

We are walking

away from his kingdom.

And that path

leads us to hell.

It leads us

to a place

of condemnation

because we have

loved something else

more than we have

loved God.

So Jesus says,

we need to give this

weight,

the weightiness

of our eternal destiny.

so what does it look like?

Well, friends,

there is not enough time

today to get through

everything I could say

about this.

There is lots

of practical wisdom

out there.

I actually found

John Stott

in his commentary

on the Sermon on the Mount

to be immensely helpful.

So much of what

I'm about to say

is in his words.

I'm just not going

to quote him

all the time.

But he has a couple

of things.

He said,

you know,

what Jesus is saying

is not that we're

to be physically

self-maiming,

but he says we're

to be ruthlessly

morally self-denying.

That is,

we are to take this

so seriously

that not physically

pluck out our eye,

but to behave

as if we don't have

an eye

to see something

that will lead us

into temptation.

To cut off our hand

that is to behave

in such a way

that we can't touch

those things

that we might touch

that would lead us

into falling into

this violation

of sexual kingdom

righteousness.

Now here's the hard part.

It's not a list of rules.

Oh, we've tried over time

to create new sets of rules.

We end up looking

a lot like the Pharisees.

Here's a checklist.

If I don't do these,

these, these, these,

these, I should be okay.

But interestingly,

Jesus puts all of these,

both of these verses

in a conditional.

If this causes you

to stumble,

radically respond.

If this causes you

to fall into sin,

don't do it.

So we need to recognize

that there isn't a,

there isn't a playbook

that says in every circumstance

you must do this,

this, this, this, this.

Christian life is about

knowing our heart

and knowing Jesus.

And so for us to flee

from this means

that we must know

what our particular weaknesses are,

what our particular temptations are,

where our imagination goes.

And it could be very,

very different

for different ones of us.

It's also why we need

to be careful

not to judge one another

about I do this

and they do that.

I watch Game of Thrones.

I don't watch Game of Thrones.

You know what?

Before God,

are you pursuing

this kind of kingdom righteousness?

Do we play around

with temptation?

Do we feed our eyes

with filth?

In our pride,

do we think,

I can handle this?

In our desire

to not feel weird,

do we flirt

on the edges

of sin

so that we can connect

with others around us?

Jesus says,

no,

be strong,

be decisive,

be brave.

It's worth losing much

to gain the kingdom

of Jesus.

Now I'm going to quote Stott.

This is a little long,

but I think it's worth listening to.

To obey this command of Jesus

will involve for many of us

a certain kind of maiming.

He puts that in quotes.

We shall have to eliminate

from our lives

certain things

which,

though innocent in themselves,

either are

or could easily become

sources of temptation.

That is,

we shall deliberately decline

to read certain literature,

see certain films,

visit certain exhibitions.

If we do this,

we shall be regarded

by some of our contemporaries

as narrow-minded,

untaught Philistines.

What?

They will say to us

incredulously.

You have not read

such and such book.

You have not seen

such and such a film.

Why,

you're not educated.

And they may be right.

We may have to be

culturally maimed,

again in quotes,

in order to preserve

our purity of mind.

The only question is

whether for the sake

of this gain,

we are willing to bear

that loss

and endure

that ridicule.

Friends,

we might need to do

something different

with these.

We might need

to get a flip phone

without a screen.

We might need

to change the way

we hang out

with our girlfriend

or our boyfriend.

We might need

to think about

the films

and the art

and the books

that we read.

I don't want us

to be prude,

but you need to know

what is it

that leads you

into temptation

and are you willing

to flee from that

no matter what it is?

Practically,

if you feel like

you're caught

in this cycle,

if this is so common

for you,

looking,

seeing,

the Bible talks

about our growth

and sanctification,

I believe,

in,

it has sort of

two levels

because there's a,

there's a surface

level of

you need to stop

sinning,

right?

You need to stop

doing things

that you know

are against

what God

has told you

to do

and this is where

personal discipline

and self-denial

and knowing

your own self

and setting

healthy boundaries

and getting

accountability

and support

are all good,

but we also need

to know

that's never enough

because the surface,

what we do

when we,

when we manage

to do that

to a certain extent

is we clear space

in our lives

for the heart work

that Jesus wants

to do

to transform us

so that we can,

so that our hearts

are renewed

in ways

that we will love

other things

more than the sins

that we,

listen,

if we every day

drink Coke

and eat Cheetos,

we're not going

to want anything

besides Coke

and Cheetos,

maybe some of you

will because you're

like,

oh,

that sounds terrible,

but if we keep

eating junk food

all the time,

our diet will never

improve,

we need to stop

eating those things

and then we need

to find out

that pears

and apples

and cheese

and bread

and whatever else

that is healthy food

is good for you

this is true

with our appetites

as well.

As Jeremiah 2 says,

we need to turn

from drinking

from cisterns

with poison water

of sin

and rebellion

against God

and turn

and be drinking

from the fountain

of Jesus

who is the one

who springs up

to eternal life

in our hearts.

when we do this

then we are able

to look at others

not in lust

but in love

and we are able

to gaze upon Jesus

and know his beauty

and this is distinctive

Christian living.

All right,

I'll be honest with you,

I don't know where

these next three

little tidbits

fit in my sermon

so I'm putting them

in here now.

One,

pornography is pernicious.

It's a pandemic

in our culture

and it is in direct

violation

to Jesus' command here.

It is exactly

designed to do

what Jesus says

we should not do.

And I'm so thankful

that in our church

we have a group

of men now

in our freedom group

who are saying,

I don't want that

and I want to change

and they're able

to help one another

do both levels

of growth

and if you need

that kind of help,

if you need that help,

come talk to me.

Talk to a friend.

Get connected

to the group.

And if you're a woman,

we can connect you

with external groups

that also exist

if you are caught

in this kind of sin

or if you're dealing

with the hurt

and betrayal

of your partner

or your spouse.

Secondly,

I want to recognize

that some here

may have experienced

sexual abuse

or assault.

And this whole topic

gets really,

really warped,

doesn't it?

Because something's

been done to you

and yet you feel

guilt and shame

about it.

I want you to know

that Jesus looks

at you

with a heart

of compassion

and of love

and of acceptance

and he invites you

to come to him

to find healing

and to find wholeness

and to find redemption.

You are not

stained and scarred

forever

by what has happened

to you.

My heart

as a pastor

breaks for you

and I hope

that our church

can be a part

of helping you heal.

Finally,

we need to recognize

that one of

the enemy

of our soul,

Satan's devices,

is to bury us

in shame

and guilt

in this area.

Some of you

are sitting here

and you're thinking,

I'm going to hell

because that's

what this verse says.

You're thinking,

I don't know

any other way

to live

and I'm stuck

and sometimes

the church

has been

the worst place

for you

because the church

has metaphorically

passed out

their scarlet letters.

You're the worst sinner.

You're the unacceptable one.

The lie

is that

sexual sin

is the unforgivable sin

and Satan

whispers it

or he yells it

in our ear

every day.

But friends,

the gospel

has good news.

Such good news

for us.

This is my third point.

Jesus

is able to,

Jesus has power

to help us

live

lives

of kingdom

sexual righteousness.

There are three ways

as I close in this.

First,

Jesus has made it possible

for the forgiveness

of our sins.

He came

and lived

a perfect life

so that he could go

and die on the cross

for our sins.

He bore

the punishment

and the shame

and the guilt

for the sins

that we have committed.

The sins

that we are committing.

Even the sins

that we will commit

for those

who have placed

their faith

in Jesus.

He has

covered us.

And however

stained we may feel

by sexual sin,

Jesus says,

I've washed it away.

And however long

the list

of offenses

is,

Jesus says,

I've erased

the record.

And there's freedom

from shame

and guilt.

There's freedom

from the hamster wheel

of saying,

if only I can be good enough,

maybe I can get out

of this.

Freedom from the insecurity

of thinking

we are unworthy

of God's love

because of our sin.

Jesus at the cross

says,

I've died for you

for the forgiveness

of your sins.

Come to me.

me.

And there's more

than that

because not only

has he forgiven us

and declared us

forgiven,

but he's also given us

a new heart

and a new spirit

so that we can

follow him.

Jesus rose from the dead

to eternal life

so that he might impart

to those who have faith

in him

eternal life as well.

and with that

eternal life

is this rebirth,

this renewing

of our heart

and soul

so that we can

actually love God.

Our old heart,

it just loves

to feed

on the feast

of sin.

But God's given us

a new heart

to feast

at the banquet table

of the riches

of God

and his kingdom

so that we're

spiritually alive

where we once

were dead

and where once

we were enslaved

to sin,

now we are free

to choose not to sin,

free to love Jesus

with all of our heart

and soul

and mind

and strength,

freedom

to seek

a new life

joyful

in righteousness.

This is why

the New Testament

writers repeatedly say,

put off,

put off the old man,

put off the old practices,

put off the old lifestyle,

put off the old patterns

of your heart

and your mind

and put on,

put on something

much better,

the kingdom of God.

Jesus has invited you

into it

and he has given you

a new heart

so that you can

increasingly love it

more than the world.

And there's so much joy

when we don't have

to fight that battle

because our heart

has actually been changed

and things that once

seemed inescapably

tempting to us

have lost their power

because we found

something greater

to love

than that.

Because the greatest

love of all,

sorry,

that's a Whitney Houston quote,

let me rephrase that.

The love

that transforms us

and changes us

is the love

with which

Jesus

has loved us

and he calls us

to gaze upon him

in his beauty

and his majesty

and his glory.

We are transformed

as we behold him

and meditate upon him.

And that precious promise

that one day

in Christ

we will be free.

we will be free

from sin,

we will be free

from this battle

that we fight today

for kingdom,

sexual righteousness.

We will be free

instead

to feast

at the wedding table,

at the banquet

of the Lamb of God.

We will be

his bride,

he will be

our

lover,

the lover

of our souls

in ways

that we can't

even imagine

now.

And friends,

is that not worth it?

The kingdom of God

to be with him

forever.

This is the gospel hope

and this

is the call

to kingdom

sexual righteousness.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus,

we come to you

this morning.

I just pray.

Holy Spirit,

do the work

you need to do.

Healing

some,

convicting

some,

calling

some.

Oh Lord,

I pray that we would not

hide in the darkness.

But Lord,

help us.

Help us to confess

our sin.

And help us

to take hold

of the life

that you've given us

in Jesus.

Help us to know

your power

doing in us

what we can't do

for ourselves.

Help us

that we might

live

distinctly

for your glory

in this world.

We pray this

in Jesus' name.

God momencie

1

poetry

in Jesus' name.

There we have a

hope that you will

transcend the

high- chatbot and

langs.