The Book of Matthew • Matthew 5:27-32

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Amen. Such a good time this morning. At this time, we're going to dismiss our kindergarten through

second grade to head to kids' ministry, and so Ms. Dawn and Ms. Stephanie are back there at the

back, so you guys can make the way back there. Well, if you have your Bibles, and I hope you do,

I want to invite you to join me in Matthew chapter 5 this morning. If you do not have a Bible, we do

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

have some free Bibles that we would like to give to you as a gift from us to you. They're located at

our connections table, and so you can feel free to go back there and grab one of those. And then also,

I'd like to remind you guys about the Lord's Supper that we will be partaking at the end of

the service. And so, as we prepare our time in the Word, would you join me in prayer?

God, I thank you for this time and what a privilege it is to open up your Word this morning.

God, I pray that you would speak this morning, Lord, that it would not be my words, my thoughts,

my opinions, but it would be your truth that comes forward. And so, Lord, any part of this that is me,

remove it from my mouth. And God, I pray that if anyone here does not know Jesus Christ

as their Lord and Savior, that word today would be the day of their salvation. And it's in Jesus' name

we pray. Amen. Amen. Well, we are in Matthew chapter 5. We're going to start here in just a moment in

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

verse 27 as we read about in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' words as he teaches about lust.

Now, Jesus has been doing some heart surgery as he's begun in the Sermon on the Mount.

The purpose of the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus is teaching about the kingdom. He's already called to

repent. And what he's saying is these are the characteristics of those who are in the kingdom

that Jesus is the king. And so he's going to begin to speak into not simply the actions that are at

fault, but the true heart of the matter. And only how Jesus can do, he is exposing, not publicly for

everyone to know at this point, but he's exposing privately of challenging at the core of the

individual, the matter and the issue that needs to be dealt with. There were people who wanted to fake

their love and fake their obedience for God. And Jesus says, well, I'm going to expose you by

dealing with who you really are. I realized a few years ago that I was getting old. Not that I was

getting older. We're all getting older. But that I'm getting old. Because I say things now like,

you know, back when I was your age, I began to say things like, that's just a little bit too loud.

And I really like to be in bed before the sun goes down. A few years ago, we were sitting at our

at the table, at our kitchen table having a meal. And we were talking to our kids just in general about

school. And one of them asked the question, what school was like when we were there? And so back

before electricity, we began to tell the stories that happened at the one-room schoolhouse.

I told a story, I said, I said, things were just different back then. Right? Y'all know that.

Like, those of us who were alive during the 80s, like, well done that any of us made it, you know?

And I said, you know, like right now, like right now in school, like, parents or grandparents,

you get this, like every day for our kids or grandkids is progress report day. I remember there

was eight days when I was in school that I was terrified of. Four progress report days and four

report card days. Because I knew on those eight days, something was being taken away. Something

was going to be taken away from me. And so, but now, like, you can get online, right? Oh, like,

we can, we can check. Like, right now. In fact, I can get on PowerSchool. Let me do that.

Let me throw them up on the screen. Just kidding. Just kidding.

We can get them right now and check their grades and check their attendance and see if there's any

special notes and all the things that are there. But other than that, like, their grades are private.

That was the conversation we had. Because I think I had to ask, like, they had taken a test and I

said, well, how did other people do in your class? And they're like, we don't really know how people

did in our class. Like, that's kind of a private. That's between the teacher and us and then the

teacher and you. Like, are you kidding me? Like, when I was growing up, I remember taking a test

test and you're done. You're supposed to turn it over. And when everybody was done and it was turned

over, you had to pass it to the person to the right of you. And the teacher would call out the answers

and they would grade your paper. And then they would hand it back to you. And as a student who

necessarily didn't apply themselves, that was a terrifying moment for me. Right? Or I remember

we'd go up and the teacher would have to show us the grades and the grade book. And so she would take

a piece of paper to block off the names that were under ours, but not the names that were above ours.

And so for Bradbury, I got to see what Christopher Alleman's grades were, but Christopher Alleman was a

genius. But my buddy, Patrick Zier, got to laugh at the rest of the class as he saw what we made,

which made him feel better about his grades. You see, the issue was, for me, even though I was a student

who didn't apply myself, I didn't want people to know that about me. Even in middle school, I remember

wanting to set myself as something different than what I really was. But yet, all it took

was that spelling test to be handed to Sammy Crawford. And Sammy didn't know that you could really misspell

words like that. Right? Jesus is dealing with a heart issue. He's exposing people, not in a way of got you,

but exposing to them of who they are. That it's not their works and their concept of self-righteousness

that's going to get them to heaven. In fact, what he's shared with them earlier in verse 20,

he says, you can't, you can't clean up all the acts, but there's still the heart of the matter

that we have to deal with. So in Matthew 5, he begins to give a list of topics from anger to lust to

divorce to oaths that challenge not just what we do, but who we are. So would you join me? I'm going to

read chapter 5, read verses 27 all the way through 30. Jesus says,

you have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery,

but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery

in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.

For it is better that you lose one of your members than your whole body be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.

For it is better that you lose one of your members than your whole body go into hell.

So Jesus comes in, in all of these. Like with anger, he says, listen, it's not just that you

don't murder. It's that you're not to have a heart of anger. But when anger does come in,

you forgive. But it doesn't even end just there. It's a call to reconciliation.

Over the next couple of weeks, what we're going to try to connect and thread through

in the narrative that Jesus has given us about lust and divorce, what Jesus is doing,

what Jesus is going to emphasize is the importance of God-designed marriage.

Of this is what it looks like. This is who I belong to because I belong to him.

But then on that day in that small country church in Jackson, South Carolina,

when I pledged my love and devotion to my wife, I became hers and she became mine.

And there's a beautiful picture that the gospel is painting when two people become one.

In Christ, in marriage.

And so we have to deal with the hearts that try to pull away from God's intent and God's design.

And so the first that we're going to see of this is the seriousness of sexual sin.

If you're here this morning and you're thinking, this isn't me.

If you're thinking, I don't have to worry about this.

I've got this under control.

I've got this figured out.

That's a struggle of a different gender or a different age.

I do want to read to you.

I read this quote this week from a pastor who passed away within the last year, a godly man by the name of Votie Bachman.

And here's what he said.

The wisest man in the Bible fell into sexual sin.

The strongest man in the Bible fell into sexual sin.

The godliest man in the Bible fell into sexual sin.

For me to think I'm above falling into this sin is to think that I'm wiser than Solomon, stronger than Samson, and godlier than King David.

The words that Jesus is going to give us of what we're going to see in verse 29 and 30 is dealing with the severity, the seriousness of this.

He's like, if you don't deal with it, what's going to happen is cast into hell.

So look back at me, verse 27 and 28.

You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery.

Jesus is quoting the law, I believe, the seventh commandment.

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The Bible deals severely when it comes to matters of adultery.

In the Old Testament law, oftentimes it was punishable as a capital crime.

The seriousness of this.

And Jesus says, once again, he raises the call from do not do this physical act to the intent of the heart to where you have what he describes as lustful intent.

If you'll turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 6.

1 Corinthians 6 · chapter mention

Paul, in dealing with this sin specifically within the church, remember this first word, okay?

Flee.

Flee.

From sexual immorality.

Every other sin a person commits is outside the body.

Like, focus on these words.

Like, focus on these words.

Listen to these words.

But the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Or do you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you from whom you have God?

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.

So glorify God in your body.

You see, the context of this sin deals beyond the physical.

It deals with the spiritual, the emotional, and the mental destruction that happens and takes place in the physical body of a person.

Because in Christ, we are not our own.

We are not our own.

We belong to God.

And specifically, we belong to God, as Paul tells us, and that the Spirit of God lives in us.

Did you not know that you're the temple of the living God?

The Spirit of God lives in you and I through the power of our profession of faith in Christ.

For personal sanctification matters.

But God lives through us as well.

For the work of the gospel as we go, as we share in obedience.

God wants to use you and I in our spirit, in our physical nature of who we are,

of the work that is happening in us, of the work that happens through us.

And Jesus, early on, deals with the devastating factor of this.

So we see the seriousness of it.

But then Jesus gives us a strategy over this sin as well.

The strategy over the sin.

What was the word that I told you to remember in 1 Corinthians 6?

Say it again.

Flee.

Flee.

Exactly right.

What does it look like to flee from something?

Run.

Get out of there.

I don't care whatever it is that you're afraid of.

Picture that.

Now get away from it as fast as you can.

To flee from something means that you and I do everything in our power.

Everything in our power to remove ourself from the situation.

If you know me, you know that my greatest fear in the world is snakes.

It's snakes.

I don't like them.

I don't like them at all.

I don't like them when they surprise me.

And I don't like them when I know where they are.

My kids, when they were little, used to love to go to the zoo.

And we go to the zoo.

I love the zoo.

I ain't been to the zoo in a long time.

I love the elephants.

I don't think they're there anymore.

I love the giraffes.

I love feeding it.

I love the grossness of the tongue when it would come out.

And I feel like a 58-pound cat's tongue, you know.

Taking some spinach out your hand.

I love going and watching the chimpanzees and the gorillas.

I love going into the aquarium.

But there was one place that I wasn't going.

And if the kids wanted to go, then they needed to know that dad would be on the other side.

And that their mom and her boldness in Christ was going to walk through that with them.

But not me.

Not me.

Why?

Because I'd want to flee.

So why would I put myself in the situation to begin with?

Verse 29 and 30.

Jesus says,

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out.

Throw it away.

For it is better that you lose one of your members,

that your whole body be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.

And throw it away.

For it is better that you lose one of your members,

than that your whole body go into hell.

Jesus uses two examples here.

And uses figurative language to his audience,

so that his audience will understand the depth of the seriousness of the matter.

And specifically, Jesus chooses the hand and the eye.

And I'd like to explain why I think why to help us understand the strategy over this.

Jesus says,

Jesus says,

If your right eye causes you to stumble,

you tear it out,

you throw it away.

What we see that in these matters,

that in the eye,

the lust sees,

lust pursues,

and does so in the sinful way.

that when the eye of lust captures on to an object,

it creates within it a sinful desire that comes out,

and that the person that is looking upon it

is no longer looking in a godly manner,

is no longer looking in a way that brings glory and honor to God,

but is instead looking at it from the depths of the sinfulness of their heart.

Jesus says,

It's better to cut it out,

and to remove it,

and to throw it away,

than allow it to happen.

Because you see,

your eyes and my eyes

are not designed,

are not created in the purpose of God

to see others as objects

of our sinful consumption.

The Bible tells us

that you and me

were created

in the image of God.

That we are image bearers.

And so when I see you

through the power of the Holy Spirit,

what I'm seeing is not an object

to be had,

is not an object

to be lusted after,

but is instead

as one who is made

in the image

of God.

So Jesus says,

tear it out.

He also says,

if the hand causes you

to cut it off

and throw it away.

Again,

Jesus is using

figurative language here,

right?

Like I don't want next Sunday

to be eye patch Sunday,

right?

Like,

a bunch of people

walking in,

shaking hands

with the left hand.

That's not what we're looking for.

Here's what Jesus

is talking about.

During the ancient world,

during the ancient world,

if you were caught stealing,

how was that punishable?

Cutting off the hand.

Cutting off the hand.

You see,

lust

doesn't end

with just a thought.

Lust doesn't end

with just a glance.

Because even,

as Jesus says,

if something

physically

is absent

and doesn't happen,

here's what you're doing

in the mind,

in the thought

of lust,

you're taking

what's not yours.

You're abusing

someone.

You're objectifying

them.

You're assaulting

them with your thought.

So Jesus says,

you see,

lust

doesn't just end

in lust.

Lust continues

into stealing.

You see,

in the beauty

of marriage,

what Paul talks about,

we'll see this more

next week,

is that

this is important.

in my relationship

with my wife,

I am hers

in every way.

And she is mine

in every way.

And in our surrender

to the Lord,

a surrender

to one another,

it can only be explained

by the power

of the gospel.

it's the picture

that's being painted.

It's what it's

going

to point us to.

So,

the hand

is not intended

for believers

to take.

The hand

is intended

to serve.

And I want

to tell you this.

You cannot

serve someone

with a lust

in your heart.

You're taking,

you're taking,

you're taking.

So Jesus says,

figuratively,

cut out the eye,

cut off the hand,

throw it away.

It's better

to lose

one of these

than for your

whole body

to be thrown

into hell.

Now I'm going

to ask you

some questions.

If this sin

is as powerful

as Jesus says,

and you believe

Jesus

like you say

you do,

then is today

the day

to delete

an app?

Is today

the day

to cancel

a subscription?

Is today

the day

to take

different vacations?

Is today

the day

to hang out

with different

people?

Is today

the day

to get

a new job?

Is today

the day

to maybe

even end

an unmarried,

ungodly,

romantic

relationship?

And Jesus

says,

it's better

to cut off

your hand.

Why won't

you delete

an app?

Jesus

says,

it's better

to cut out

your eye.

Why won't

you quit

a job?

You see,

it's easy

to say

and to sing

I know

the Lord

will provide

and then

walk out of

here and

take control

of everything

in our life.

But would

today be

the day

for you

that we

don't have

to cut off

the hand,

we don't have

to cut out

the eye,

but that there

are things

in our

life.

And Jesus

is saying,

I can't

believe you

won't delete

it.

I can't

believe that

vacation is

so important

to you.

I can't

believe that

you won't

hang out

with someone

new.

I can't

believe you

won't get

a new

job.

I can't

believe you

won't end

that destructive

relationship.

It's better

to do that

than to have

your whole

body

thrown

into

hell.

so what's

the solution?

I mean,

I imagine

it was

pretty quiet

there too.

What's

the solution?

And Jesus

is going to

give us

a solution.

Not just

to sexual

sin,

but the

solution to

sin.

what do

you do

if you're

here this

morning?

If you're

here this

morning,

and you're

like,

man,

I failed

time and

time and

time again.

And the

word

adulterer

rings true

in my life.

What do

you do?

What do

you do?

Well,

number one,

Jesus is

the

solution.

Jesus

is the

solution.

I want

to read

to you

in John

John 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

In

John

John 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

There's

a story,

a story

from the

life of

Jesus,

where a

woman

is brought

to Jesus

who's been

caught in

adultery.

Start in

verse 2.

Early in

the morning

he came

again to

the temple.

And all

the people

came to

him.

And he

sat down

and he

taught them.

And the

scribes and

the Pharisees

brought a

woman who

had been

caught in

adultery

and placing

her in the

midst,

they said

to him,

teacher,

this woman

has been

caught in

the act

of adultery.

Now in

the law

Moses

commanded

us to

stone

such

women.

What do

you say?

Now let's

pause right

there.

This is

not a

group of

people with

pure intent

and pure

motives.

They hate

this woman

and they

hate Jesus.

They see

themselves as

self-righteous.

If you feel

like you're

someone here

and you're

caught up

and you've

committed

the sin

of adultery,

guess what?

So have

the rest of

us.

Verse 6.

This they

said to him

to test him

that they

may have

some charge

to bring

against him.

and Jesus

bent down

and wrote

with his

finger on

the ground

and as

they

continued to

ask him

he stood

up and

said to

him,

let him

who is

without sin

among you

be the

first to

throw a

stone at

her.

And once

more he

bent down

and wrote

on the

ground.

But when

they heard

it they

went away

one by

one beginning

with the

older ones

and Jesus

was left

alone

with the

woman

standing

before him.

Now there's

a lot of

thoughts

and there's

a lot of

theories

about what

Jesus wrote

on the

ground.

We don't

know.

We don't

know.

But whatever

he wrote

was powerful

enough

to cause

a group

of men

to leave

in shame

because of

what was

in their

heart.

And so

now

it's

Jesus

and the

woman

caught

in adultery.

Let me

say this

about her.

She was

caught.

This is

not a

false

accusation.

This is

truth

about sin

in her

life.

verse

10.

You see

in our

sins

sometimes

we can

begin to

believe

that there

are certain

sins

that cause

us to

be

unlovable,

unredeemable,

unsavable.

That's not

how Jesus

works.

That's not

who Jesus

is.

So

Jesus

stands

up

and says

to her,

woman,

where are

they?

Has

no one

condemned

you?

She

said,

no one,

Lord.

And then

look at

what Jesus

says.

Neither

do I

condemn

condemn you.

Go

from now

on

and sin

no more.

Here's

what Jesus

does.

Jesus

doesn't

excuse

away

her sin.

Jesus

gives

her

grace.

where

are

they

who

condemn

you?

Where

have

they

gone?

And

she

says,

no one,

Lord.

It's

just

her

and

Jesus.

I'm

going to

tell you

right now,

right now

in your

life,

I don't

care if

it's

this sin,

I don't

care if

it's

any other

sin,

I don't

care what

sin that

you've

stacked up,

you're

holding

on to

that's

right there

and people

want to

call you

out and

you just

want to

hide from

it,

you want

to hide

from it,

you want

to hide

from it.

Here's

what I

want to

say,

right now

in this

moment,

you're

filled in

a room

with a

whole bunch

of

people,

but

right

now

it's

just

you

and

Jesus.

When

it all

matters,

when

it all

counts,

right now,

it's

just

you

and

Jesus.

And

he

offers

you

right

now,

right in

this

moment,

he

offers

you

grace.

He

offers

you

grace.

What

does it

mean

that he

offers

you

grace?

Number

one,

he

offers

you

forgiveness.

He

offers

you

forgiveness.

That

through

the work

of the

cross,

Jesus

offers

you

forgiveness

for

all

your

sins.

For

all

of

them.

All

sins

past,

all

sins

present,

all

sins

future.

That's

how

big,

that's

how

powerful,

that's

how

capable

he

is.

He

offers

you

forgiveness.

He

takes

all

of

your

sin

and

in

that

he

gives

you

your

righteousness

and

belief

and

faith

and

trust

in

Jesus

Christ

as

your

Lord

and

Savior

finds

when

you

acknowledge

that

you're

a

sinner

who

needs

to

be

saved

by

his

grace.

But

grace

doesn't

end

there.

Grace

doesn't

end

there.

Grace

continues

on

in

the

call

to

obedience.

this is

so

important.

This is

so

important.

What does he say

back at

verse 11?

Where are

they?

There's no

one Lord.

And

Jesus

said

neither

do I

condemn

you.

Go

from

now

on

and

sin

no

more.

You see

here's the

part of

this.

Here's the

part of

this that

we want

to

separate

we want

to

remove.

You see

we all

want

a

forgiveness

from

Jesus.

But

Jesus'

call

of

forgiveness

through

the

power

of

the

Holy

Spirit

that

dwells

in

us

moves

us

to

obedience.

Okay?

I forgive

you.

Here's

the

standard.

Stop.

Flee.

Run

from.

Cut

off.

If it

calls for

it.

And

in

that

in

the

fullness

of

Christ

he

is

your

Savior

and

he

is

your

Lord

and

that's

the

testimony

of

those

individuals

today.

I'm

going to

ask at

this time

if the

prayer

team

and

the

worship

team

would

begin

to

get

in

place.

This

morning

God's

call

and

his

response

for

you

is

to

respond

to

him.

This

lady

didn't

wake

up

this

morning

thinking

that

she

would

encounter

with

Christ

but

she

left

there

with

an

encounter

with

the

Messiah

and

just

like

her

he

offers

you

today

his

grace

he

offers

you

the

forgiveness

of

sin

he

offers

you

the

call

to

obedience

would

you

respond

to

him

today

as

the

Lord

and

Savior

of

your

life

would

you

pray

with

me

God

what

a

wonderful

and

beautiful

display

that

you've

given

us

in the

gift

of

yourself

and

who

you

are

God

how many

of us

have

fallen

short

all

of

us

every

single

one

of

us

none

is

righteous

not

one

so

you

offer

us

yourself

God

I

pray

today

that

there's

anyone

here

who

does

not

know

Jesus

Christ

as

their

Lord

and

Savior

God

that

today

would

be

their

day

of

salvation

God

I

pray

that

if

there's

any

sin

that

we're

holding

on

to

any

of

us

God

that

we'd

be

willing

to

lay

it

down

to

confess

Lord

and

to

experience

the

fullness

of

the

goodness

of

the

relationship

with

you

God

work

and

move

in

only

how

you

can

for

your

name

and

your

glory

and

it's

in

Jesus

that

we

pray

amen

that's

it

for

this

week's

message

be

sure

to

check

back

next

week

for

a

new

episode

and

in

the

meantime

you

can

visit

us

online

at

willowridgechurch.org

or by

searching for

Willow Ridge

Church

on

Facebook

Instagram

and

YouTube

thanks

again

for

listening