Thanks very much, Stuart. Good morning, everyone.
Graeme and Stuart, both say, great to have you with us,
! whether you're in the building, watching on YouTube,
or listening to the audio recording.
Didn't Jesus say some strange things?
You might have listened to the reading this morning and thought,
that can't be right.
Can Jesus really mean that a lustful thought is equivalent to going the whole way physically?
Does he really mean that we're liable to go to hell
unless we mutilate our bodies to get rid of sin?
Well, the answer, I'm sure, to both questions is no.
But we need to think what Jesus is trying to say to us.
We mustn't let the fact that we're not necessarily taking him literally all the time
blind us to the fact that he is trying to really challenge us this morning,
to shock us out of smugness or complacency.
These verses are difficult to understand.
They're also very difficult to apply.
And I think if they don't make us feel uncomfortable,
then we're really not understanding what Jesus is saying.
We're missing the point.
I want to use four statements that are very simply,
I hope, will get us to the root of what Jesus is saying to us.
The first of these is sin is always wrong.
Secondly, sin includes wrong thoughts.
Thirdly, sin leads to judgment.
And fourthly, sin requires drastic action.
Our passage is specifically about sexual sin, so we will cover that.
But it also applies, I believe, to sin in general.
And these four statements should come to us with real force this morning
as we think of the words of Jesus.
Let's begin with a little bit of background.
If you've been here previous weeks, you will know this,
but it's worth a reminder.
We're in the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus' teaching between Matthews 5 and 7,
principally to his disciples.
And this little section that we're looking at over these few weeks
starts with Jesus' words about the Pharisees.
He says,
Now, the Pharisees were sticklers for rules.
They looked at all the laws in the Old Testament,
added a few things themselves,
and they judged you by, could you keep the rules?
If you stuck to the letter of their rules, you were okay.
Teachers of law would tell you what the letter of the rules was,
but Jesus says to his disciples,
you need more than that.
It's not enough just to have a list of rules,
and you say, yes, I'm okay on that one, I'm okay on that one,
then you don't need to worry.
What really matters is not our external appearances
and the rules that we keep.
It's what our hearts are like.
And if our hearts are right,
then we can go beyond the righteousness of the Pharisees
and the teachers of the law.
This section in Matthew has been described as Christian countercounter,
and that's what it is.
It's challenging people's assumptions about what is right
and what is wrong and what they can get away with.
Now, below that verse, there are six examples,
as JT pointed out to us last week,
that Jesus gives to us.
I've just put up the headings in the NIV,
but I think they're quite descriptive.
He talks about murder, adultery, divorce, oaths,
eye for eye as revenge,
and love for enemies.
And in each of them, he begins a bit like this,
you've heard it said, but I tell you.
You've heard it said is looking back mainly to the Old Testament,
to what's written there,
particularly in the early books,
in the books of the law.
And Jesus says, you can read this,
and he's not contradicting it,
but he says, I'm telling you,
it means a bit more than you're interpreting it as.
You're not just to stick by the letter of what's there,
you need to be obedient to the Spirit as well.
And that, I think, is the background,
particularly to what we're going to be looking at this morning.
So let's get into our four statements.
First thing Jesus says is,
sin is always wrong.
It's very easy to get into a habit of thinking
that little sins don't really matter.
Big sins, yes, we all would say,
yes, they're wrong.
There are lots of things we say that's really wrong.
But small things, well, it's understandable.
It's excusable.
So someone might say,
I'm a very truthful person,
but like everyone else,
I tell an occasional white lie.
And that means actually,
they're not really that truthful,
like they would say.
And Jesus says,
we can't have grades of sin
and say some are unacceptable
and some are acceptable.
Sin is always wrong.
So a particular context here is adultery,
marital and faithfulness.
It comes from the Ten Commandments,
what's said here.
It's the seventh of the commandments.
You do not commit adultery.
But what do we mean by that?
The Pharisees and religious leaders said,
well, that's the physical act.
That is the sexual act
with someone you're not married to.
And they probably thought
as they were looking through
and assessing their obedience to the law,
well, that's an easy one.
I can just take it off.
I've never done that.
Jesus' teaching here
is that it's important
not just to stick to the letter.
We need to think of the principle.
So he says that
anyone who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultery
with her in his heart.
Now, Jesus isn't being a killjoy here.
Sexual desire is a gift from God
and in the right context
is intended to bring us pleasure.
We can see that, for example,
if we look at the Song of Songs
in the Old Testament.
But the right context for sex
is within marriage,
between a husband and a wife.
Outside of that,
sexual activity is sinful.
Now, I think we may use degrees of sin
more as an excuse when it comes to sex
than to most other things.
At one end,
there are sins that we should all find
really abhorrent,
such as sexual abuse of children.
And we are horrified by them.
At the other end,
there are things which we may not
even think about or recognise as sinful.
We read a slightly racy story
in a magazine or on social media,
and we maybe don't think twice
about the fact that we're taking pleasure
from something that maybe we shouldn't be.
And in between that,
there's a multitude of different actions
and thoughts,
which are all sinful.
Now, that being said,
there are some clear lines.
There's a clear line drawn here.
In the law, it says,
do not commit adultery,
physical adultery.
Jesus' hearers would all recognise
as being wrong.
Now, actually, most people today
would agree with that.
Most people would say,
if you're unfaithful to your partner,
that is a betrayal,
that is wrong,
with likely consequences
for the couples involved
and potentially for their families.
Sadly, although it's recognised as wrong,
it's still very common.
Christians would go further.
We would look at the Bible
and recognise that it forbids
all sexual contexts outside marriage,
even where those involved
are both single.
And that's going further
than most people around about us would go.
But there's a clear line there,
and it's quite likely
that many of us can say,
I haven't crossed that line.
Jesus draws another line here.
It's not enough, he says,
to avoid committing adultery physically.
We mustn't fantasise about it.
I don't believe he's saying
the fantasy has the same consequences
as the act.
The act of adultery
could directly affect somebody else
and leads them into sin.
It affects two couples
and possibly also, as I said,
could lead to the breakup
of two families.
Fantasising doesn't do that,
at least not directly.
But Jesus still makes it clear
that adultery in the heart
is sinful
and is within the spirit
of the command
not to commit adultery.
It's also not without consequences
because it will affect
how you relate to one woman
or one man
and reflects how you view
the other gender in general.
But there's a bigger picture here,
I think.
It's not that we've got three lines
and below them we're okay.
The big picture is that
we should never excuse one sin
on the basis that it's not as bad
as another sin.
We can't think that as long as we don't
cross a particular line,
we're all right.
You may think your sin
is less serious than someone else's.
You might be right.
But it's still sin.
Too often, even as Christians,
we accept the norms of our society
in what we do,
what we say,
what we watch,
what we read,
what we think.
And that's to the detriment
of our spiritual health.
We fail to recognise things as sin
that if we really thought about it,
we would realise where.
They become blind spots to us
and we need to act on that.
Thomas Brooks was a 17th century
Puritan preacher and writer.
And here's something that he wrote
which I think is very telling.
He says,
many times small sins
are more dangerous.
Great sins startle the soul
and awaken it to repentance.
But little sins breed
and work secretly
until they trample the soul.
So never think,
what I'm doing,
it may not be quite right,
but it doesn't matter.
All sin is wrong.
I think at this point
I need to say something else.
You may be feeling
that what I've talked about
doesn't really reflect
your position.
Far from being complacent
about sin,
whether sexual or otherwise,
you feel overwhelmed by it.
You're filled with guilt
and with shame
about a habit
or about something
you did in the past.
Well, first of all,
it's good that you feel
the weight of sin.
That's the Holy Spirit
bringing conviction
into your heart.
But you also need to know
that just as all sin
is wrong,
if your trust is in Jesus,
his blood purifies you
from all sin.
You need to confess
your sins to God
and receive assurance
of his forgiveness.
You might feel
that if other people
knew about your sin,
they'd be shocked by it.
That may be true,
it's probably true
of many of us.
But God knows
the full extent
of your sin
and he's willing
to forgive and forget
so that your shame
can be removed.
Psalm 32
is a great example
of this.
David is weighed down
by the weight
of his sin.
He feels his bones
wasting away.
His strength
is being sapped.
But he says,
Then I acknowledged
my sin to you
and did not cover up
my iniquity.
I said,
I will confess
my transgressions
to the Lord
and you forgave
the guilt
of my sin.
If you're feeling
overburdened
with guilt
and with shame
this morning,
that can be
your experience too
as you accept
what Jesus has done
for you
and put your trust
in him.
Let's move on though
and we'll look at
the second statement
I've made.
Sin includes
wrong thoughts.
So we're still
in verses 27 and 28
if you're following
through in your Bible.
And Jesus is making
some very important
points about
our minds.
Our thoughts
matter
and they're often
sinful.
If you think
lustful thoughts
he said,
that is a form
of idolatry
in itself.
Thoughts matter
first because
of what they can
lead to
in our actions
and our words.
Last week
when we were
thinking about
murder,
JT pointed out
that unjustified
anger
is the seed
of murder.
Well,
we could say
similarly today
that lustful
thoughts
are the seed
of adultery.
One thing
can easily
lead to another
and before
we know it
we're too
far down
the line.
Lustful thoughts
also affect
our relationships
because they
make us
view those
who we find
physically
attractive
as objects
rather than
as real
people.
But wrong
thoughts matter
for their own
sake as well
because they
draw our attention
away from what
is wholesome
and right.
They affect
our relationship
with Jesus
and our
prayer life.
When we
don't control
our thoughts
we're depriving
ourselves of
the peace
and the joy
that should
come from
our relationship
with Jesus.
In our
Sunday evening
studies upstairs
we've been
looking at
Paul's letter
to the church
in Colossae.
And chapter 3
has a lot
of echoes
of Jesus
teaching
in the
Sermon on
the Mount.
Verse 5
I think is
particularly
relevant to
what we're
thinking of
today.
Paul writes
put to death
therefore
whatever
belongs to
your earthly
nature
sexual
immorality
impurity
lust
evil
desires
and greed
which is
idolatry.
When Aaron
Lockhart
spoke to us
on this
passage
he points
out that
in this
verse
there's
one
sin
of
doing
and
lots
of
things
of
thinking.
Paul
covers
the
whole
range
of
illicit
sexual
acts
with
one
description
sexual
immorality.
But then
he has
four vices
which are
mental
impurity
lust
evil
desires
and greed
which is
idolatry.
Now it
looks as if
the list
is kind
of widening
there as
Paul goes
on to
some
extent
it is
but if
we think
of greed
as being
the belief
that everything
and everyone
exists for
our pleasure
that could
describe
sexual sin
as well.
And Paul
says the
initial battles
in the mind
might lead
to sexual
immorality
but it's the
thoughts that
matter that
we need to
get under
control to
begin with.
Our spiritual
battle is
won or lost
in our
minds
and we
can only
be triumphant
in it
if we
ruthlessly
focus on
our thought
life.
It's not
just lust
that trips
us up
of course.
Pride,
anger,
hatred,
a multitude
of other
things that
are in our
minds
that are
sinful
and that
we need
to get
rid of.
Paul says
in Philippians
four,
whatever is
true,
whatever is
noble,
whatever is
right,
whatever is
pure,
whatever is
lovely,
whatever is
admirable,
if anything
is excellent
or praiseworthy,
think about
such things.
I think I
need another
short diversion
here as well.
Occasionally
and maybe
quite often
an impure
thought will
come into
your head
or you'll
wake up
from a
dream
and feel
shocked
about it.
These things
are a reflection
of the fact
that we have
a sinful
nature.
They may
well diminish
if we grow
closer and
closer to
the Lord
and if we
focus on
our thoughts
but they
probably won't
disappear
completely.
Now sin
in these
things doesn't
lie in the
thoughts arising,
that's the
devil tempting
us.
Where the
sin comes
in isn't
what we
do with
them.
If we
harbour them
and develop
them in
our mind
then we
are being
led by
the devil
into a
sinful
habit.
We need
to get
away from
them when
these things
come.
Perhaps go
and do
something
constructive
or go
and talk
to someone
about
something
else or
get out
your Bible
and think
about Jesus
and let
him give
you the
strength to
take your
mind off
it.
Our
reaction
should be
like
Joseph
when
Potiphar's
wife tried
to seduce
him and
he fled
and not
like David
who saw
Bathsheba
bathing and
let the
sight lead
to a
doubtery
and ultimately
to murder.
Paul said
to Timothy
flee the
evil desires
of youth
and pursue
righteousness
faith
love
and peace
along with
those who
call on
the Lord
out of a
pure heart.
And if he
was bold
enough
Timothy
could quite
legitimately
have responded
flee the
evil temptations
of age
as well.
Temptation
doesn't go
away as
we get
older.
We need
to have
our minds
under control
as much
as we
possibly
can
to
fulfill
them
what is
right
and what
is
helpful
to us.
Right,
so these
are the
first two
things.
Let's move
on now.
We're going
to look
at verses
29 and
30.
And the
third thing
we want
to think
about is
that sin
leads to
judgment.
Twice
in these
verses
Jesus says
that our
bodies could
end up in
hell unless
we take
drastic action
to avoid
sin.
The word
used for
hell here
is Gehenna.
Gehenna was
a location
outside
Jerusalem
but at
one point
was used
for human
sacrifices
but in
Jesus'
day was
a rubbish
dump
which was
constantly
on fire
to kind
of purify
the rubbish
that came
to it.
But it's
used commonly
by Jesus
and by
others at
the time
to describe
the place
of ultimate
eternal
judgment
for sin
for those
who don't
accept him.
Jesus is
making it
very clear
that there
is a
judgment
for sin.
No sin
is
inconsequential
and unless
our sins
have been
forgiven
we will
face the
fires of
hell,
we will
face
God's
judgment
on us.
But there
is a
difficulty
here.
Graham and
others have
pointed out
in previous
weeks that
the Sermon
on the
Mount
is delivered
principally
to Jesus'
disciples.
is not
about how
we win
God's
favour,
it's how
we should
live when
our trust
is in
Jesus.
But that's
quite hard
to reconcile
with Jesus
suggesting that
his disciples
might end up
in hell
if they
don't take
appropriate
action.
So what is
he actually
saying here?
One possibility
might be that
Jesus is
exaggerating
for effect.
That is
certainly the
case as
we come
on to
the actions
he expects
from us.
But that
seems very
unlikely to
me.
Jesus isn't
going to
talk in
that way
about something
so devastating
and so
eternal
as hell.
A second
interpretation
might be
Jesus'
disciples,
Christians
today,
can lose
their salvation
because of
sin that
comes into
their lives.
Once they
were saved,
now they're
not.
But that
goes against
the clear
teaching of
Scripture.
That salvation
is based on
faith in
Jesus,
it's not
based on
any good
works of
ours.
John says
in his
Gospels,
everyone who
believes in
Jesus has
eternal life
and in the
same Gospels
Jesus says,
I give them
eternal life
and they
shall never
perish,
no one
will snatch
them out
of my
hand.
So if our
trust is in
Jesus,
our eternal
future is
secure.
Perhaps what
Jesus means
here,
I'm not
certain,
but I'll
throw it
out as
a suggestion,
perhaps what
Jesus means
here is
that if we
persistently
don't take
sin seriously,
it could
suggest our
faith was
never truly
in Jesus.
There were
people following
him, looking
like his
disciples, who
would later
fall away,
who weren't
really disciples
of Jesus.
If we
can see
all that
Jesus has
suffered to
bring us
forgiveness
for sin,
all that
came on
him as
he went
to the
cross, the
physical
suffering,
the separation
from God,
and if that
doesn't affect
the way we
live, it
probably means
at least that
we haven't
understood the
cost of our
salvation to
Jesus.
Jesus says
his disciples
must have a
righteousness
that exceeds
that to the
Pharisees and
teachers of
the law.
And people
who are
careless about
their sin
simply don't
have that.
Now I'm not
talking here
about situations
where we
struggle with
sin, even
if we feel
we fall
time and
time again.
Paul says
in Romans
7, Paul
the great
apostle,
what I want
to do, I
do not do,
but what I
hate, I
do.
That's many
of our
experiences.
And he
exclaims,
what a
wretched man
I am.
Now no one's
going to
suggest that
Paul was
not a
Christian.
Struggling
with sin
doesn't mean
that you're
not a
Christian,
that you've
not been
saved by
Jesus.
But if we
don't feel
the need
to struggle,
then I
think we
need to
take Paul's
advice,
examine
yourself to
see whether
you are in
the faith,
test yourself.
Remember
that Christians,
as well as
those who
haven't
trusted in
Jesus,
will have
to give
account of
their actions
to Christ.
For Christians
won't lose
their salvation,
but they will
be held
accountable for
what they
have done
for the
Lord Jesus.
Will
Graham is
the grandson
of Billy
Graham and
is a quite
well-known
evangelist
himself.
I read a
very perceptive
article he
wrote where
he suggested
in the past
when people
chose a way
of life that
went against
the Bible's
teaching,
they normally
left their
faith behind.
But now
they're more
likely to stay
in the church
and attempt
to justify
their actions,
possibly by
distorting
scripture.
Now we can
see that's
true of
sexuality,
among other
things.
and Will
Graham says,
it's a grave
mistake to
take sin
lightly or
to believe
the lie that
since Christ
died for our
sins, there
are no
consequences
to our
actions.
There are
spiritual and
eternal,
not to mention
physical costs
to be paid
when we
ignore God's
guidance through
his word.
And he
continues,
rather I would
encourage you to
cling to Christ
and dig so
deeply into
the Bible.
that you can
spot a lie
from the
truth.
We need to
recognize that
sin leads to
judgment and
we need to
take it
seriously.
And taking it
seriously, our
last point,
means that sin
requires drastic
actions.
Jesus says,
to avoid hell
we need to be
willing to
gouge out our
right eye or
cut off our
right hand.
Our eye would
represent what we
see clearly,
the inputs into
our body,
if you like.
Our hand would
represent what
we do,
the sins that
we commit.
And in both
cases, the
right one is
seen as being
stronger than
the left,
and that's why
he specifies
right eye and
right hand.
Now, it's
almost universally
agreed that we're
not to take
Jesus literally
here.
He's using
hyperbole,
exaggeration for
effect, and he
isn't suggesting
that we should
mutilate our
bodies.
If we took him
literally just in
the matter of
sexual thing and
our thought life,
there would be
few of any men
here who weren't
maimed.
I can't speak for
the woman, but
maybe similar
too.
In any event,
mutilating our
bodies wouldn't
keep us from sin
if there was no
change in our
heart.
But if we don't
take this literally,
it doesn't give us
an excuse not to
take Jesus' words
seriously.
We can't say,
well, obviously
that's not what
he's meaning, and
just go away and
forget it.
Jesus is aiming to
shock us into
action.
So what would
that mean for
us?
Just a few
suggestions.
It will vary
depending on where
our weak spots
are and the
things that we
can recognise
that trigger us
to sin.
It could affect
the books that
we choose to
read.
Are they
wholesome and
helpful?
It could affect
the websites we
visit, the
social media we
view, the
programmes that we
watch on our
screens, the
films we go
to.
If any of
these lead us
into sin
through our
eyes, then
Jesus says we
need to cut
them out, remove
the thing that
brings the
temptation that
leads you to
sin.
And we need
to go further
than that.
it could also
affect where
and with
whom we
spend our
time.
If a
friendship or
relationship is
unhelpful
spiritually, you
may need to
give it up.
It might even
affect the job
you do if that
is leading you
in some way
into temptation.
Now it's not
for me to tell
you what you
should do, I
need to examine
my own heart.
but I'm
trying to
prompt all
of us to
consider what
we may need
to change to
reduce the
danger of
falling into
temptation and
maybe get out
of a bad
habit we've
been unable
to shake so
far.
This has been
a pretty heavy
study and I
think that
reflects the
seriousness of
the passage.
Let me finish
with some
encouragement and
that also will
hopefully help
us as those in
the church head
towards taking
communion together.
If we do
take our sins
seriously, if we
do feel the
weight of them,
we may also
doubt our
ability to
change.
It's one thing
to recognise
that we're
going wrong,
it's another
to be able to
do something
about it.
And in our
own strength
that is
undoubtedly
true.
But we're
not left
alone, we
don't have to
do it by
ourselves.
When we
receive Jesus
as our
saviour
and Lord,
we also
receive the
Holy Spirit.
The Holy
Spirit is our
counsellor,
leading us
into all
truth,
helping us
to see
how we
should live.
He also
provides us
with the
weapon we
need when
the evil
one attacks
us, the
sword of
the Spirit,
which is
the Word
of God.
And the
Spirit's work
in our
lives give
us the
strength to
obey and
to grow
spiritual
fruit.
That's why
he's here,
that's why
Jesus sent
his Spirit
to draw us
to him
and to
help us
to live
before him.
And we
also see
Jesus.
Jesus who
is tempted
in every
way as
we are,
but who
never
sinned.
Jesus who
took our
sins on
himself when
he was
nailed to
the cross
and took
the punishment
that should
have been
ours.
Jesus who
triumphed over
evil and
death and
today is
a living
saviour and
lord.
What would
be impossible
in our
strength is
possible in
his, through
following his
example, through
seeking his
help as we
pray.
So today, if
you're struggling
with your sin,
take heart.
It can be
overcome in
the strength of
Jesus and
the Holy
Spirit.
If you've
been challenged
on your
complacency
about sin,
then do go
away and
consider what
you need to
do to take
it more
seriously.
And if you've
never put your
faith in Jesus,
then know that
he offers you
forgiveness for
sin and hope
for the future
through his
death on the
cross.
You need to
trust him
today.
I'm going to
pray now.
And I'm
going to use
the words of
Catherine Scott
as our
prayer.
They'll be
familiar to
many of us
and I think
very relevant.
So let's
pray together.
And our
prayer is,
search me,
know me,
try me and
see every
worthless
affection hidden
in me.
All I'm
asking for is
that you'd
cleanse me,
Lord.
Create in me
a heart that's
clean.
Conquer the
power of
secret shame.
Come,
wash away the
guilty stain of
all my sin.
Clothe me in
robes of
righteousness.
Cover my
nakedness with
grace.
All of my
life before you
now I
humbly bring.
Amen.
Thank you.