LUST COMES FROM THE HEART (Matthew 5:27-30)

Lust Begins in the Heart, Not Just the Act

Y 'all ready to open God's Word? I'm ready. Let's go ahead, open your copy of God's Word to Matthew chapter 5 starting in verse 27, Matthew 5 27. So two weeks ago we began this this new section really here in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and this is a section that will go on all the way up through the end of chapter 5 where we see Jesus, He's expounding upon and really clarifying what He has previously said back in verse 20 when He said, for I tell you unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

And now He goes on with six specific examples and the first one of those six being you shall not murder which we looked at two weeks ago where He explains that it's not just the physical act of murder that causes you to be guilty and judgment to come upon you but it's actually anger in your heart.

This is where the source of murder comes from is this anger and it even goes further and He even says that even if you you speak negatively of your brother you call him a fool you are liable to judgment in this and it leaves you guilty of breaking the law.

So today we're going to be looking very similarly at Jesus' second example of what He means of your righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees so let's look there in verse 27 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 with her in his heart.

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 than 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. This is the reading of God's holy inspired word. And these are very difficult words of Jesus here. Aren't they. Difficult passage to understand. So let's stop now. Let's go to Him once again.

Let's ask that He will illuminate our hearts and minds to His truth. Heavenly Father we come to you once again and we thank you. We thank you for your word. We thank you that it is true that it is perfect.

We thank you that it has been restored for us your people so that we can know what you have called us to be and to do. We can know who you are in light of this word. And God I pray that you would just open our minds and hearts to understand this truth this morning.

God guard me from error. I'm a fallible man and my opinions carry no weight unless they're grounded in your word. So God I pray that you would guard me and guard the hearers if I were to speak an untruth of you in Christ's name.

Amen. We'll notice that Jesus starts off this second example. The first one you shall not murder. But this now is you shall not commit adultery. And he starts off in the same way that he did the first one and he will the next four.

After this one he says there in verse 27 you have heard that it was said. So we see him starting it off in the same pattern that he did.

Before.

We must assume that Jesus is he setting up a contrast in like fashion of what he did earlier saying that this is what the religious leaders have said to you. He's making a distinction. This is what your religious leaders have told you you shall not commit adultery and that is directly from God.

But he is clarifying here what is truly meant with the heart of the matter what the people have heard from the religious leaders and what they should have been hearing and what is it that they should have been hearing.

What is it what is it that is contrasting their words. It's his it's his own words but I say to you. But I say to you and just as I said two weeks ago for those of you.

That were here.

Jesus is declaring his supreme authority with those five words. Isn't he. Because those religious leaders they acted as though they were the authority. They were the ones to interpret the scriptures. They were the ones to interpret the law of God.

And Jesus comes in. He says you've heard it said but I say to you Jesus. Burst their bubble here in this sermon quite a few.

Times doesn't he.

No wonder they hated him. It's because he's the one that gets to interpret the.

Law.

Because he's the one that created the law so he's the rightful interpretation of this and so we should heed what he's saying here in these words. And I think I'm not gonna chase this rabbit trail much but I wanted to.

Address this.

I think there's a lesson in here for us today in that we should not be so arrogant as to think that our thoughts our words and our opinions have any authority. That's what the religious leaders were guilty of wasn't it.

They thought that their interpretation was the right interpretation because God is the only authority it's God's word. So I know some of you might be thinking well that's what the religious leaders thought too right.

They thought they were interpreting God's word properly. And you're right. They did think that. Here's the difference. They obviously had a distorted understanding and it was because of their unregenerate minds and hearts.

They did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within them to be able to comprehend the words that are said in scripture. So hence they can only see things from the physical realm. They can't see or understand anything within the spiritual realm whatsoever.

As a matter of fact Paul mentions this in 1st Corinthians 2. He says. The natural man does not accept the things of God that he cannot. He cannot accept the things of God because he is. He is not spiritually discerning because he does not have the Holy Spirit.

So when they see something like the law of God saying you shall not commit adultery. They can only see that in the physical realm of the actual act of adultery. We see the same perspective in our world today of those religious leaders have seen this from that perspective.

I looked up the definition of adultery as a matter of fact. I wanted to see what the world says about adultery.

It's a very.

Very defined thing here. It says that adultery is a voluntary voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse. And that definition really leaves a lot of wiggle room doesn't it.

There's a lot of things that wouldn't be considered adultery according to that. And so that's how the world perceives it. And that's how the religious leaders perceived it. And I don't care what the dictionary says.

I'm only interested in what Jesus says. He gets to define terms. He gets to define everything because he created everything. So what does Jesus say about this. Look at verse 28 again. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

No wiggle room in that one is there. He opened that up and widened that scope of you being guilty of breaking this law. So in order for us to refine this I want to see four things in this passage today.

Four things. The bullet points here are the severity of adultery the scope of adultery the source of adultery and the severing of adultery. We're gonna look at those four things. The first one the severity of adultery.

So Leviticus chapter 20. Some of you have read through the Bible and get to Leviticus and it slows you down.

Doesn't it.

There's a beautiful book here that gives us the heart of God how God truly sees the heart of the matter of what he really thinks about.

Sin.

But in chapter 20 verse 10 of Leviticus speaking of this he says. If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. The death penalty was reserved for the vilest of sins against God.

And this is one of those the Old Testament law required that if you were caught in that act that you were to be killed both of you. That's pretty severe isn't it. You may remember the story of of the adulterous woman encountering Jesus as a matter of fact.

Let's turn over there. Turn in your Bibles with me to John chapter 8. John chapter 8. I want you to see this story. It's a familiar one. I want you to see a couple things in it. John chapter 8 starting in verse 3.

John 8 starting in verse 3 says. The scribes and the Pharisees here they are.

Again.

The religious leaders they're always up to something. Aren't they. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and placed her in the midst. Stop there for a second. I want you to notice something.

You remember the law that I just read in Leviticus. What did it say. Who was to be put to death both of them. All of a sudden these religious leaders you can already see they're already distorting the law of God.

They're already bringing in their preconceived idea of the law of God. They have lessened the severity of the sin by leaving the man out of it who knows where he is. But they've not brought him. They've only brought the woman.

So they bring her and place her in the midst. Verse 4. They said to him teacher this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman.

So what do you say. So again the religious leaders what are they trying to do. They're trying to trap Jesus. Aren't they. They're trying to because like we said we first started this section of scripture.

What they're trying to do is they're trying to prove to everyone around them that this Messiah this Jesus has come to do away with the law of Moses. He's completely disregarding it. But that's not what Jesus had said.

Is it. He said I did not come to do away with the law. And the prophets I've come to fulfill them. But they're trying to trap him over and over again. Because this is the law of Moses that she is to be killed.

It's only half of it. But it is some of it. They say. They say. What do you say. They're trapping him. Verse 6. He tells them that or he knows that. They're testing him. Jesus knows the hearts of them.

Right. And what does he do. He gets down on the ground. Some of you remember this this scene. He gets down on the ground. I can only imagine he's leaning forward. He starts writing in the dirt with his finger.

We have no idea what he's writing. We can we can make assumptions. I think he's maybe writing out some some other sins that he knows. They've committed because he's God. And their conscience is pricked.

Maybe. And they're a little bit embarrassed. But who knows what he was writing it doesn't tell us. So that's not.

Important.

And then in verse 7 it says. And as they continue to ask him so as he's writing they just continue to ask him. He stood up and said to them y 'all are very familiar with these words. Most you should be let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.

Interesting. So in their test they're trying to get Jesus to completely disregard the law of Moses. But he doesn't. He just points to the heart of the matter. Here doesn't he let he who has no sin cast the first stone.

I want you to take note of something. Were any of those religious leaders or any of the people in that crowd without sin. Not a one. Right. Every one of them had sin in their life tremendous sin just as we all do.

But there was one that had no sin meaning that Jesus had the right to condemn her. Jesus could have thrown that first stone but he didn't. He didn't throw the first stone. As a matter of fact it goes on.

It says in verse 8 that he bent down again and started writing in the dirt again again. We don't know what he wrote. But he wrote something in verse 9 it says. But when they heard it they went away one by one.

When they heard him say he who is without sin cast the first stone. They walked away one by one beginning with the older ones. And Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Notice the older ones.

They're probably a little wiser. These guys have been around the block. They're like okay this guy just got us. Let's get out of here. And then the younger ones are a little more adamant to try and be a little more intense with the law.

They're kinda sticking out. But then they eventually leave. Also because the weight of the authority of Jesus himself forced these men from casting the first stone upon this woman. Who mind you is deserving of that death because the law that God had given us back in Leviticus 20 required that people like to read this passage in light of Jesus doing away with the law of Moses.

They want to say well see Jesus didn't want to carry out that law back in Leviticus 20. But we know that Jesus said he didn't do away with the law but to fulfill it. And the law of Moses did say to stone her.

So what is Jesus doing here. What's Jesus's purpose. In this look at verse 10 Jesus stood up and said to her woman where are they. Has no one condemned you? Now remember he's using this phrase condemned.

He's the one that has the power to condemn. He's the one that has the power to condemn. And I believe it was Paul that said that our job isn't to condemn the world. The world has already been condemned by who?

Right. By Christ. He has the power to condemn because he is God. He is perfect. So then in verse 11 he says. She said no one Lord. I believe we can read into that. I believe this woman was saved. I believe she knew who this man was.

I believe she knew who the Messiah was here. And Jesus said neither do I condemn you go. And from now on sin no more. I think that's probably one of the most moving encounters with Jesus and all of the Gospels.

Here's this woman who obviously deserves to be stoned to death because of her great sin against God and the Messiah reaching down. I've not condemned you. And I'm the only one with the power to do so go and sin no more.

And what did he do in this section. What is what is happening here. Jesus forgave her. It's a beautiful story. That doesn't mean she didn't deserve to die. It just means that he was going to die in her stead.

Did you catch that? Doesn't mean that she didn't deserve to die. It simply meant that he was gonna die in her stead. Now today in our setting this side of the cross we may not take the life of an adulterer.

Right. We don't go around dragging people out of their houses from adultery and stone them in the front yard. That's not what God has called us to do now here is the church. Yet God's attitude and disposition towards it remains the same.

God despises it. God hasn't changed. God despises it at the same level that he despised it. Back in Leviticus 20 God is the same. He hates sin. God hates the sin of adultery just as he hates all sin. Paul said again in 1st Corinthians 6 -9 says.

Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who practice homosexuality. And it goes on. And it says they will not inherit the kingdom of God. There will be death.

Death is required. Death is an absolute. And people who practice sin and go on sinning which is every single human being outside of Christ will die will spend an eternity in judgment. And guess what Paul went on.

Actually in that passage in 1st Corinthians down in verse 11 he said. And such were some of you. What happened. What happened. Such as some were you he says. But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Somebody died on our behalf. Somebody paid penalty for that adultery. Somebody paid the penalty for that sin. And it was Christ just as the adulterous woman Jesus is saying to those of us that are in him go and from now on sin no more.

Do not. Do not return back to sin. Do not live that lifestyle of sin. Do not do it because your heavenly father the one that has set his love and affection and grace upon you before he even created the earth or the universe at all he had loved you and he had he had chosen that his son would die in your stead.

That's the gospel. Right. This is why we're here to worship. This is why we're here. Because he says now just like that with the woman go and sin. No more. Why would we return like a dog to his vomit.

But we do so often. Don't we unfortunately we'll talk about that in a moment. We are to love the things that God loves. We are to hate the things that God hates. And God hates sin. Hence God hates adultery.

This leads us to our second thing that I want you to see the scope of adultery. The scope the size the where. What is adultery. Exactly. Let's let's talk about that. If we are to hate this sin and run from it we must know exactly what it is.

And we know from reading passages like the one in Leviticus that it is of course having relations with someone that is not your spouse. And yes adultery is that. But getting to the heart of the matter Jesus.

He clarifies that so much deeper. He expands that understanding it's not just having that relation with someone that's not your spouse. And he says everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent. You see the scope is widening.

Isn't it just like we saw with murder. It wasn't just the act of murder. It was it was the hate and anger in your heart. And then it was the speaking negatively of your brother. It just keeps getting wider.

Jesus shows us that all of us are are involved in sin. This means that adultery is any sexual thought. Any according to scripture. According to God's law God's law you shall not commit adultery. The scope of it encompasses every ounce of lust in the heart is what Jesus is getting at.

I pulled up some statistics this week that really bothered me. I'd heard them but I wasn't confirmed and I wanted to share them with you this morning says that 77 percent of professing Christian men and 20 percent.

That was a number that scared me. The most 20 percent of professing Christian women admit to looking at pornography at least once a month now. This this is coming from people that attend a church that are part of a church.

They don't just say well I'm Christian. These are church people. 77 percent of men 20 percent of women. These are only the ones that are admitting to it. Mind you. It's an epidemic isn't it. It really shows the heart of man and unfortunately shows the heart of the church.

I know people try and justify things like this. They say well at least they're not actually cheating somebody is looking at pornography. They're not actually cheating on their spouse or their future spouse.

That's not what they're doing. Oh yes they are. They absolutely are looking at pornography is absolutely adultery according to Jesus. Not only have you sinned against God Almighty when you pursue those types of things but you're sinning against your spouse or your future spouse.

Not only are you sinning against them. You're sinning against that poor girl or boy that is an image bearer of God created in the likeness of our God being demeaned and using them as an object for your own gratification.

I know this is getting a little intense here this morning and I'm sorry but I have to deal with the passage right. The you see the layers of sin affecting all of us. It's not just you. You're not just affecting just you.

Now some of you in here may go well thank the Lord I'm not one of those people I don't struggle with pornography and I don't go after that. Well praise God only by his grace. Are you one I'm thankful for that good pursue that continue that don't find pride in it because pride comes before fall right.

But don't think for a moment that you're out of the woods on this one just yet can't assume that you're out of the woods just because you don't actually go and pursue what would be considered in our culture pornography because we live in a pornography culture everything around us is pornographic isn't it everything around us.

What about your social media feed are you scrolling through knowing that you're gonna come across a video or a picture that maybe you won't even gaze at too long but you're hoping you slightly come across it so kinda innocent about television shows that you watch that really good television show you've been binge watching on Netflix right you make excuse well yeah they have a lot of inappropriate stuff in it but I'm only watching it because it's just a good show.

Is it affecting you? I'm not trying to get legalistic here I'm talking to the heart. I'm talking about you. What are you looking at that affects you? What's affecting your mind and heart? What about the books that you read?

What about that novel that you're reading? Does it arouse something in you that is only supposed to be reserved for your spouse? What about that person you're staring at a little too long, that waitress or waiter?

I may be hitting some nerves here I'm sorry but I've had my nerves hit all the past couple weeks on this so your turn. What about your own private thoughts? You see Jesus opens the scope of this so much wider than we could ever fathom.

And it is sin against God. My point in pointing all of this out is just because we don't do the vilest of the vilest things we think that we're somehow above it that we're better than someone else but looking at others is not the measure of success in the Christian life.

Just because I don't suffer from pornography I can't look at someone that doesn't go well I'm okay because my lust thoughts are only up in here they're not on the screen. Now I have to compare it to Christ.

Perfection. That's what I should desire as a Christian. We're all guilty on one level or another which is just like the adult which is why just like with the adulterous woman we need forgiveness. Every one of us and I'll tell you when we fall back into sin and you will I will.

We always fall back don't we? And we will until until we reach glory won't we? We always fall back but when we do we need to remind ourselves of that forgiveness. We need to look to the source of that forgiveness.

Sometimes messages like this on topic like pornography adultery lust it can become a list of things that you can do to pull yourself up by your.

Bootstraps.

And not fall into those traps. That's not what this sermon is about. I don't have any of those those tools to give you because those tools aren't going to fix anything. But if you're a believer today and you find yourself trapped in that sin of lust and you fall back into it and back into it the resolution is not covenant eyes per se on your computer.

It's not to try and put a blindfold on yourself so that you can avoid everything necessarily. We'll get to that. There is an element of doing practical things but the fix to that is for you to look to the one that gave you forgiveness.

I can only imagine that adulterous woman on the ground. She's been dragged there. She is beaten. She's hurting. She's humiliated. She's been brought out into the public square and told adulterer. Look at her.

Stone her. And she deserves it. Everyone around knows it. But she just looks up. I can see it now. I can see when she says yes my Lord and it's almost like a tunnel vision that all those people disappear and she's looking at the face of Christ.

The one that she is acknowledging as Lord and he says go I don't condemn you. I forgive you. That's the Christian life isn't it? It's not trying to figure out the 10 steps to stop looking at pornography.

It's trying to figure out the one step to look to my Savior, the one that forgave me. Because it can be overwhelming when we look at the scope of adultery can't it? When we say oh man I can't even watch football anymore because the commercials because of adultery.

It's overwhelming when we see what Jesus says is adultery. We feel as though we can't win. But you know what's more overwhelming? You know what's more overwhelming than the onslaught of a pornography driven culture onto our lives and in our minds?

The love of Christ. That's more overwhelming. It's the love of Christ that draws us to him. He's not condemning us. When Nathan fails and Nathan falls and what goes through.

My mind.

Is twisted and warped from what God has prescribed for me and I pursue sin in the moment. I don't have to go. Jesus is mad at me. I'm gonna have to avoid him for a while until I figure out.

How to clear my mind.

No I can go to him because it's his love that's overwhelming. I can come to him and I can look to him like the adulterous woman. Yes my Lord. Oh my Savior the one that has accepted me and redeemed me and already paid for that sin that I just fell into.

He's already died for it. And then he rose again and he defeated it. He said it no longer has dominion over you. It no longer has power over you Nathan. Now walk in light of that love my son. Amen? This is what it means to follow and obey the heart of the law of God.

Not just the letter of the law. This is what Jesus is getting at. So we've seen the severity of adultery. We've seen the scope of adultery. Third thing I want us to see is the source of adultery. Now this point here this gets really to the heart of what Jesus is saying in this passage.

Look at verse 28 again. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman. This word looks that we get here in the Greek is what we call a present participle. This simply means that in the original language there, the word that's being used here, it's an ongoing process of looking.

It's not a gaze. It's not a, well that person caught my eye for a moment. No this is an ongoing is what he's getting at here is what Jesus is saying. The simple act of noticing an attractive person and essentially even looking at that attractive person is itself not a sin.

So what makes it sin? What makes this sin? It goes on there in the verse. He says with lustful intent. What Jesus is saying is he is he's referring to looking at a person for the purpose of gratifying selfish desire.

This is what Jesus is getting at. We all notice attractive people don't we? Attractive people everywhere. We'd be foolish to not notice them. That's not what Jesus is getting at. It's the matter of intent.

With selfish intent. And what is the source of this selfish desire? What is the source of this adulterous heart? Well look at the passage again. He goes on. He says has already committed adultery with her.

What's the rest?

In his heart. Has already committed adultery with her in his heart. I love what Dr. John MacArthur says on this. I would be foolish to think I could say it better than him so I'm just gonna read his words right.

He says it is not lustful to look. It is not lustful looking that causes the sin in the heart. But the sin in the heart that causes lustful looking. I'm gonna read that part again before we go on. It is not lustful looking that causes the sin in the heart.

But the sin in the heart that causes lustful looking. Remember? What's in here comes out. What's in here comes out. We look because of what's in here. He goes on. He says the lustful looking is but the expression of a heart that is already immoral and adulterous.

That heart is the soil where the seeds of sin are embedded and begin to grow. What Dr. MacArthur is saying is that Jesus is getting right to the heart. No pun intended. Yes, pun intended. Of the matter.

What's in a person's heart is what will come out. Not only through their words but also through their actions, through looking. Now this is of course a spiritual aspect to this. There is a spiritual aspect to our lives.

The fact that Satan and the demons are presenting things for us when it comes to lust and adultery. They're obviously at work. The world is under the sway of the wicked one. And so we'd be foolish to think that those commercials aren't intentionally timed for us.

That those Facebook posts aren't intentionally timed for us. That we would be foolish to think that. To draw us away. To cause us to sin. However, the only way that trap works is what James said in chapter 1.

You might want to jot this reference down. James 1, 14 and 15. The only way Satan's temptation and that works is with what he says. He says, but each person is tempted to sin when he is lured and enticed.

Not by Satan. We can't say Satan made me do it. The devil made me do it. That's not how it works, right? He's only tempting out there. But we are tempted when we are lured and enticed by his own desire.

You get that? You're enticed by your own desire. That's what James says. He says, then desire that's in you, when it is conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

We're being drawn away by what's in here. What do we long for? What do we want to look at? What do we want to say? What do we want to do? What do we want to watch? What are we wanting? Because what we want is what's going to pull us in.

And so when Satan puts those little nuggets out there, the demons put those little things out there that draw you away, you're chasing them only because they're what you truly want in your heart. This is the source of adultery.

So then the question is, how do we respond from here? If that's what's in our hearts and we're drawn away time and time again, then how do we respond? What's the resolve here? How do we fix this? How do we resolve the issue of being a sinner against God who is deserving of death?

Well that question depends on a couple of things. It depends. The first one is if you are not in Christ. If you are in here this morning and you are not in Christ, Christ has not paid the penalty for your sins.

You have not come to Him in faith and repentance. He has not awakened you. You are not in Christ. If that is the case you can't respond. This is your nature. You're a slave to it and you must obey it.

You don't have a choice. You're a slave. You cannot do good. The most righteous thing that you could possibly do is filthy rags before God. You cannot obey God. You cannot love God. You cannot fix the problem of lust in your heart and desire for sin in your.

Heart.

It owns you. So what must you do in that case? You must plead with God that He grant you repentance and faith. Even now, bow your head as I'm preaching and plead with Him that He grant you that. That you would be saved.

And if and when He does this, what happens? You become freed from that bondage. You're given a new nature. Now I have to say I'm not gonna try and sell you something that isn't true. Yes, you're freed from that bondage and yes you have a new nature but every one of us in here, this side of glory, still has a desire for sin.

Here's the difference. Before Christ, it was like a wall back here with chains on it and that was sin and you were chained to it. You had no freedom. Now you've been freed. Now unfortunately, and I've done this before, unfortunately what do we do?

The chains are hanging on the wall. They've been broken. Everything is free and we as Christians, we're not walking with the Lord and we look around the world and we kind of mosey our way over to that wall.

And we kind of hang on to the chains. Don't we? It doesn't mean we're trapped there. It just means we've gone back to that wall of sin. We've desired it. And that's gonna happen until glory, until we're freed completely of this flesh because our flesh desires it.

But you have the power to not go back to that wall. And you're not chained to it any longer. The second way to respond to this truth is if you are in Christ. This leads us to our fourth and final point.

I'm gonna try and wrap it up quick here, guys. I'm sorry. The fourth and final point, the severing of adultery. If you are in Christ, this is only possible if you are in Christ. The severing of adultery, also known as the mortification of sin.

Putting sin to death. Fighting sin and putting it to death in your life. Look at verses 29 and 30. Let's read those all together as a whole, both of the verses. 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 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.