Transcript 2014-08-03PM_SOM - Lake Forest church of Christ

Matthew 5:27-30
27 “You
(NKJV)
have heard that it was said to those
of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But
I say to you that whoever looks at a woman
to lust for her has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right
eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it
from you; for it is more profitable for you
that one of your members perish,
Matthew 5:27-30
(NKJV)
than for your whole body to be cast into
hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to
sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is
more profitable for you that one of your
members perish, than for your whole body
to be cast into hell.
SERMON ON THE MOUNT:
MATTERS OF THE HEART (2)
Matthew 5:27-30
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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We continue our study of the Sermon on
the Mount found in Matthew 5-7
Our last study together looked at
5:21-26
Jesus spoke previously about the Law of
Moses and going beyond the plain
message of the law
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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More specifically, Jesus taught that not
only was it wrong to murder, but also
wrong to be angry without cause
All the words and actions that follow the
path of anger were also condemned by
our Savior
Peace is the route He desires for us
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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He spoke of taking care of issues that we
have with our brethren
He also spoke of taking care of those
issues we have with our adversaries or
those of the world
Christ continues in the text speaking of
matters of the heart…
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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1. Starting Point (v. 27)
 Once
again Jesus teaches in much the same
way that any rabbi at that time would have
taught
 Jesus
also again refers back to the Law of
Moses, most notably the 10 Commandments
 This
time He chooses the sin of adultery
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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1. Starting Point (v. 27)
 Perhaps
He chose adultery because it’s
another one of those sins that we look upon
in horror
 Or
perhaps He chose adultery because it
was a prevalent sin
 Either
could certainly be true
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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2. Sin of the Heart (v. 28)
 Jesus
once again begins verse 28 in the way
He began verse 22 in the previous section
 “But
I say to you…”
 Notice
the authority that Jesus speaks with
here
 It
was unlike any other (7:28-29)
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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2. Sin of the Heart (v. 28)
 Jesus
once again goes beyond just the plain
words and teaching of this commandment
 Christ
gets tough here by saying that
whoever looks at a woman to lust has
already committed adultery with her in his
heart
 Sin
begins in the heart (15:19-20)
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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2. Sin of the Heart (v. 28)
 The
idea here (“looks at a woman to lust”) is
to look again
 It’s
not wrong for our eyes to pick up on a
woman
 The
first look is when we see a woman and
notice her beauty and admire that
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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2. Sin of the Heart (v. 28)
 The
second look is with a purpose because
we already know what she looks like
 It’s
the second look that begins to play out
the affair in our hearts
 The
second look is the dangerous look that
begins the process we see in James 1:14-15
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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2. Sin of the Heart (v. 28)
 Jesus
is trying to keep us away from the
edge of the cliff
 He
wants to keep us off the road that leads
to the sin of adultery
 If
we never get on the road, then we don’t
have to worry about the sin
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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3. Purity at All Cost (vs. 29-30)
 Christ
wants us to keep our hearts pure
 He
knows and understands that all sins begin
there
 Whatever
it takes, we need to do our best to
stay pure and avoid sin
 This
is where Jesus goes in vs. 29-30
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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3. Purity at All Cost (vs. 29-30)
 Does
Jesus mean that we should literally
gouge out our eyes?
 No,
otherwise we would have a lot more
blind men
 The
principle is one that should be easy to
understand
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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3. Purity at All Cost (vs. 29-30)
 If
there is something that causes us to sin or
stumble, we need to cut it out of our lives, or
get rid of it
 It’s
better to go through life without _______,
than to lose our souls because of it
 Verse
30 repeats the same idea
SOM: Matters Of The Heart
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3. Purity at All Cost (vs. 29-30)
 This
effectively eliminates any excuses we
have to live a sinful lifestyle
 This
means that we must think about our
spiritual lives and examine where we fall
short
 We
then do whatever is necessary to get it
right…because our souls depend on it