You Have Heard It Was Said

Intro

Where do our actions come from?

Story of appendicitis

The presenting issues only showed there was an underlying issue

To change actions is one thing, to change the heart is another

You have heard that it was said...

Matthew 5:27–30 ESV

“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 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.

Where was it said?

Exodus 20:14 & Deuteronomy 5:18: Both are the 10 Commandments

Jesus affirms the importance of the Law

“But I say to you…”

Equivalent of “Thus says the Lord”

Doubles down

“With her in his heart”

It is a heart issue

Actions are one thing, a sickness of the heart is another

“Tear out your eye, cut off your hand”

This is a serious issue

Sin leads to hell

What goes on in the heart…

When there is adultery?

When there is lusting?

When there is sex outside of marriage?

When someone tries to redefine marriage?

Our heart is in rebellion toward God. We may not want it to be, but it is.

Genesis 4:7 “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

In our head we know what is right but we are drawn away by our passions. What does that say about our passions?

Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Enslaved by our passions

That is not the person we want to be

Deceitfully leads us to the pit

All issues stem from the heart

Anger / Murder

Matthew 5:22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

Lust / Adultery

Matthew 5:28 “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Divorce

Matthew 5:32 “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Truthful/Oaths

Matthew 5:34-36 “But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.”

Retaliation

Matthew 5:39-42 “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

Love your enemies

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Humility - giving in secret, praying in secret, fasting in secret

Matthew 6:3-4 “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6:6 “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6:17-18 “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

The impossible standard

Matthew 5:48 “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The problem is, we are not perfect!

A Heart Issue

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Change the action and the mind will follow

Changing the action without the mind

“Fake it until you make it”

Certainly helpful, much better than attempting to change reality for a person’s delusions

But what about our sinful nature, the heart?

The heart

Proverbs 22:15 “Folly (foolishness) is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”

Psalm 36:1 “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.”

Jeremiah 4:14 “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you?”

Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The issue of our nation

What we are currently experiencing with our nation is sickness of heart. As we saw in June, a “pride progress” flag hanging at the White House and a declaration from our president, “Our nation is a nation of pride.” Hopefully you disagree with that idea but it was an apt depiction of the heart of our nation. We are striving for sin, to do what I want to do when I want to do it. To allow our pride to hinder our submission to the One True God and His ways. There is no presidential candidate that fix our issue, only Jesus Christ can do that. As C.S. Lewis put it, “you cannot legislate morality.”

Remember the charge Jesus gave us earlier in this Sermon on the Mount, “You are the salt of the earth.” Salt stings when it is applied to a wound because it is cleansing the sickness that resides within. And remember that there will be persecution because the world will whence from the sting. That is all the more reason why the salt is needed. Our saltiness does not come from our own doings and not doings, but it comes from the Spirit that resides within.

So we have this reminder that our heart is in need of renewing, redemption, regeneration. This is for our sake, for our salvation, and also for the salvation of the world. The question presents itself, “How can we possibly affect the world?” I would pose another question, “What affect can we have on the world around us?” What impact could we have, should we have, in Palestine, TX? Legislation is great, and it is needed, but more than that, what is needed is a change in heart. When our heart is changed so will be our actions. The fire of the Holy Spirit is contagious, and no amount of masking can keep it from happening. When our heart is changed it allows the embers of our salvation to grow into a roaring flame. It is that flame of the Holy Spirit that turns the hearts of others, as Moses was turned to stand in awe of the burning bush, and it is the same God in us that was in the burning bush.

Surrender your heart to God. Pray, plead, beg for a renewed heart and mind. With a renewed heart the love of God will fill our lives and we can live in His blessing and His gifts. Let us also take that flame with us wherever we go and speak boldly of the passion for God that resides within.

How do we cleanse it?

Acts 15:9 “and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.”

Romans 10:8-9 “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:10 “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”

How now shall we live?

Living in the kingdom of heaven has the best rewards. One of those rewards is a changed heart and renewed mind, which comes through being born again of the Spirit. God requires us to be holy as He is holy, sent Jesus to die for us so we could live under His righteousness, and then gave us a new heart so we could actually be holy. Let Him take control and lead us to righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit.