Being Faithful

Matthew 5:27–32

Jesus reminds His disciples the smallest detail of the law matters. So ignoring it and telling other to ignore it will put you on the low-man list of the Kingdom. Obeying them is great. But. That doesn't save you.

Key verse to drive the context. Matthew 5:20 “ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The first illustration is He then talked about how murder, begins in you and I. We always say, I might struggle but I ain’t killed nobody. When we are filled with hate/anger, so much so, that we shouldn't even be worshipping God. We can make it relationally right through repentance to God and others. But salvation, is all Him.

Here Jesus uses the illustration again, of another sin that carries the death penalty, Adultery. Websters defines it as, voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband also: an act of adultery To do so, damages on a real and spiritual level. Proverbs 6:32 “ Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul.” It was no small offense biblically. Most people even in the modern world consider it an offensive sin to “cheat” on one another.

Lets examine the text for today.

Matthew 5:27–32 “ “You 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, 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. 31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”

This text is the text that brings most of us, to a real halt. Because it is and seems almost impossible for anyone to resist this temptation. Which one really should think is exactly why Jesus uses it.

Committed Heart 27-28, Chop it! 29-30, And Furthermore 31-32

Committed Heart 27-28

Matthew 5:27 “ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ”

Turn to Deuteronomy 5:18 “ ‘You shall not commit adultery.” and you think, its not too big a deal right. I mean, its just love. Its not a big deal. Stay Duet

But we are told that this is separating what God brought together, Matthew 19:6 “ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”” So this union, marriage isn't just a man-made “tradition”.

So whats the punishment for this fling? Turn over to: Deuteronomy 22:22 “ “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.” (back to Matt) Some might call this a crime of passion, fulfilling needs, just a moment of love! That would cost one their life. And eternal punishment. This is a severe and exacting law.

Then Jesus ramps it up to 9 million

Matthew 5:28 “ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

And we are destroyed. Most women are guilty of this as well. If you look or take part in any relation with someone or imagine it. To lust after it. This isn't talking about temptation but about giving into temptation and going through the act in ones head/heart.

like the act - Jesus’ implication is that like this heart act is the

What this is not. This is not if you find your significant other lusting after someone you have biblical grounds for divorce, (we’ll talk more about that in a moment)

but guys and gals, things like porneia where we get our word _blank_ from and fantasizing about relationships with others can destroy hearts, kill trust, and hurt relationships greatly. Quite literally Jesus tells us here it is heart illness. Sin.

Now Jesus goes from sin born in the heart, how does one stop it? I mean if sin, even sin we tantalize ourselves with kills, what lengths should we go to?

Chop it! 29-30

Matthew 5:29 “ 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, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”

Now this communicates a few things to us.

We always think that sin isn't that big a deal. An i’m sorry is all it takes right? Just repent? No, jesus had to die and raise from the dead to pay for my sins. My sin is so serious that If gouging your eye out could stop sin, Jesus says it would be worth it to so. Hell is a real place, that we don’t or shouldn't want to go.

to raise the stakes again, Jesus says

Matthew 5:30 “ 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.”

So now, here we are, left eyed, left handed and guess what. I bet that left eye/hand is just as capable of sin as the other. Sin with either is just? And those wages?

The scribes and pharisees have to be going nuts at this. After all, lusting after is what gets them to the place of being able to divorce and marry someone else - men had the right (with cause) of divorce. Suddenly finding your wife ugly, was cause enough for many rabbis.

then jesus just cuts the legs right out from under them.

And Furthermore 31-32

Matthew 5:31–32 “ “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”

I don’t think I need to explain the text.

Now, marriage divorce, the rights and wrongs of it, is not what Jesus is talking about here.

the Pharisees and scribes had justified so much.

Failure and the evil inherent in divorce would destroy us were it not for the fact that God keeps his promises and continues to love even when we break our promises and our love fails.

William H. Willimon

This is not for set rules or make new christian laws regarding lust and divorce. This is quite in reality saying that anything other than Being Faithful, in a perfect way, is to be unfaithful and be guilty of sin.

Sexual immorality is punishable by what? Death. Therefore freeing the person. Listen you and I need to get this.

Matthew 5:20 “ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Perfect faithfulness, perfect relationships, thats how we live it, earn it. And we cant. Jesus here reinforces that we need Him, beyond anything we can do. Even the good we do, pales in comparison to the uber-religious and Jesus says we have to be so much better than them! The point is that we have to look to Him. To not earn it, but rest in Christ. I am not saying sexual immorality and divorce is ok, what I am saying is that we trust Jesus not our own morality.

Hebrews 4:6–13 “ Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua (promised land) had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. 11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

Jesus reveals everything because thats what the light does. We often use this text to justify not obeying a sabbath. But we need to obey it in regards to trying to earn our salvation. To be at sabbath was to not work. To not earn our place but trust and rest in the Lord. It was not done to us, but done for us. Trust in your Lord today!