Desperate Times, Desperate Measures - The Magnitude of Sin

Introduction

We have been studying through the Sermon on the Mount for a while now. Believe it or not, this is our 17th session on this portion of the life of Christ as we study through the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

As we have gone through the Sermon on the Mount, we have taken note of some important things that Jesus does as he teaches. We've noticed that before he teaches a practice, he teaches principles first. We have noted that behind every that he says to do, there is a reason and a principle backing this up. We have studied that the doing of things is important, but far outweighing the importance of doing things is the spirit behind the doing - the difference we know as following the letter of the law versus living by the spirit of the law.

That difference can be seen well in the following story.

Little Billy was at school and they had an assembly. For part of this assembly, they had all the students stand up, but Billy didn't feel like standing up, so he didn't. He just sat in his seat. His teacher kept whispering to him, "Billy, stand up!" But little Billy would just shake his head and cross his arms as he remained resolutely in his seat. Finally, the teacher called him out into the hall and told Billy, "Since you didn't want to stand and participate with the rest of the school, you're going to stay out here for the rest of the assembly, standing in the hallway. And if you sit down, I am going to call your parents, and you are going be in trouble."

Little Billy looked at his teacher and said, "I might be standing on the outside, but I want you to know that on the inside, I'm sittin'!"

So in that case, we see Billy was following the letter of the law, but definitely was not following the spirit of the law.

We see that as Jesus progresses through the Sermon on the Mount, he makes an indictment against the Pharisees and Scribes. He points out that the way that they have been interpreting the law and the prophets is not the way that it is actually represented in Scripture. He has identified himself as existing to fulfill the law and the prophets and not to make a new law or abolish what God has already given.

So, in exemplifying the necessity of following the Spirit of the Law rather than just living to the Letter of the Law, Jesus gives six examples to demonstrate this truth. These examples take what the Pharisees had taught, and correct those teachings as Jesus draws his followers to look at the spirit behind the letter of the law.

Last week we studied the first of these examples that Jesus gives as we looked at the difference between the Pharisee's teachings on murder, which was basically, "As long as you don't kill anyone, your good!", and Jesus' teachings on the spirit behind the commandment "thous shalt not murder." The spirit behind that commandment, we saw, is the to love God and love your neighbor. In fact, that is the spirit behind every commandment.

And Jesus clarified that the big issue is the content of the heart. If we are holding on to anger, we are as guilty in God's eyes as the murderer. If there is bitterness and unforgiveness, and if we refuse to reconcile with those that we have offended, we are guilty before the Lord as much as the murderer would be guilty before a court of law.

This week, we get into the second example. In studying this example, we are also going to study and expound several doctrines that we have seen in a general sense over the last few weeks.

Jesus' View of Adultery

So let's take a look at the passage today. Matthew 5:27-30 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

One of the first things we notice here is the difference with what Jesus calls a sin and what the Pharisees had called a sin. The difference, as we have looked at before, boils down to the hearts thoughts and intentions.

The Pharisees had reduced the commandment which prohibits adultery to simply the physical act of adultery. They imagined that if they could finish out the day without actually committing adultery, they were innocent as far as the law was concerned. Once more, as with the matter of murder, they had taken the letter of the law and reduced it to one particular matter. They had forgotten the whole spirit of the law, which is something that is absolutely fundamental to the understanding of the New Testament.

Remember our verse from 2 Corinthians 3:6 ... The letter of the law killeth, but the spirit of the law giveth life.

The failure on the part of the Pharisees was in not taking the Ten Commandments as a whole, or even God's conversation with Moses as a whole. As we pointed out last week, they had completely disregarded the commandment of loving the Lord with all of their soul, heart, and strength when considering the commandment of not murdering others.

In this commandment, they have done the same thing, but they have also disregarded the tenth commandment. The ten commandment reads like this: Thou shalt not covet. But here's the rub, that is not the end of the commandment.

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

The word covet means to desire for yourself something that is not legitimately yours.

So the underlying cause of adultery is to the desiring of an illegitimate sexual relationship with someone. The spirit of commandment number seven is embedded in commandment number 10. And this is the problem with taking Scripture out of context and not considering the accompanying verses, the cultural setting, the time frame, or the audience. When we look at one verse without consideration for the verses around it, then we fall into the pit that the Pharisees fell.

Incidentally, the spirit of commandment number 8, thou shalt not steal, is also embedded in the tenth commandment, thou shalt not covet.

What is the underlying commandment for all of these, even for not coveting? We find Paul giving the answer which should be obvious to us already in Romans 13:9-10 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Before his conversion, Paul had only thought of the law in terms of actions, like the other Pharisees. When he came to Jesus, he began to understand that the law had always stressed the importance of the heart, and that could be seen clearly if all the law was taken and considered as a whole instead of separate line items.

This concept is completely pushed to the wayside when men and women begin obeying and worshipping in a purely mechanical sense.

Those who think that they can worship God and obtain salvation in terms of their own actions are seriously mistaken are still lost. Salvation is a question of the heart, not of a question merely of actions or abstaining from sin. This idea of doing and not doing to be able to justify our own selves in our sight or the sight of others is a thought process that is abominable to the Lord.

Luke 16:15 15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

We see this to be true as we study Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Even our own good works, outside of Jesus, are like filthy rags to God.

So Jesus brings in the spirit of the law in a practical sense. "You have heard that it has been said, thou shalt not commit adultery, but now I say unto you whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

What is the true nature of sin? The action or the heart? It's the heart. When we say the heart, we are specifically speaking of your emotions, your desires, and your will. In a broader sense it can refer to your philosophies and intellect as well.

Remember that the whole purpose of the law was to be our schoolmaster, as Paul puts it in Galatians. The purpose of the law was to teach us about sin, to bring us to Christ. It was never meant to be a way for salvation. In fact, Paul talks about how the law helps us to comprehend sin.

Romans 7:7b ...I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

So the law teaches us the depth of our sin. It teaches us that the root of our sin lies within the heart. Jesus points this out as he says, "But I say unto you that whosoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart."

I do want to point out something here that is very important and can very easily be taken out of context.

Look at Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Too often, this verse has been used to bring shame onto men for something that is not shameful. When God created man and woman, he hardwired man in certain ways and women in certain ways. Sin has corrupted that in some cases, but for the most part, this is true about men: that they are more attracted by what they see in a woman. This is not to say that women don't care about physical attraction, but it is generally more true about men.

This verse has been often taken out of vocabularic context and used to tell men that they should feel ashamed if they find someone of the opposite sex attractive if that is not their wife. For a long time I thought it was wrong of me to think of women as beautiful if they were not my wife. This was even before marriage. I'd think, "Oh, she's pretty!" and immediately scold myself and think, "I should not be thinking that way! shame on me! Lord, forgive me!"

I don't know how many times as a teen I confessed the sin of lust when I had simply thought of another girl as attractive.

This is why knowing the meaning to words is important. If you look up the meaning of the word lust in a modern English dictionary, you will find the meaning, "a very strong sexual desire."

If you look up the word that is translated lust in the New Testament, the word that Jesus used, it translates as a strong desire or covetousness of things that are forbidden, though in proper context it can also be an intense desire for things that are legitimate.

Paul understands the commandment, thous shalt not covet, in the context of the word "lust", as noted in Romans 7:7.

The word is to desire something to be yours that is not legitimately yours. In fact, the word lust also has a connotation of "having one's heart set upon having something."

The context of how Jesus is speaking, adultery, gives us the meaning of lusting after a woman that is not your wife in this case to be the following: a desire to engage in sexual relations with someone who is not your spouse.

So men, just because you find someone physically attractive does not mean your lusting. If you take that and begin to entertain thoughts about engaging in a physical relationship with that woman, however, you have now broken the spirit of the commandment, thou shalt not commit adultery. For in your mind, you have already begun to think and imagine the act.

This does not, and let me be clear about this too, this does NOT give men permission to go about ogling women. Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. To objectify a person is to reduce them from people bearing the image of God, to something less. God puts a high value on people, and to treat a person with anything less than the value that God has placed on them is a serious afront to the Lord.

This is why, later in Genesis 9, God says that Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

So you are right, you will never find a commandment that says, "Thou shalt not gawk at women." However, looking at a woman just to bring about your own pleasure is breaking the spirit of the law that tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and goes against the spirit of the law of treating others as they are created, in the image of God.

But for this verse, we are talking specifically about sexual immorality.

So what are we supposed to do with those thoughts when they do come up? 2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Again and again we see it in the Bible and from the mouth of Lord Jesus Christ that is is from the heart that sin initiates. The heart, the mind, our thoughts and passions and things we dwell on will eventually come out in actions or words. We find this truth, not just throughout the New Testament, but in the Old Testament as well.

The book of Proverbs puts it very concisely when we read the verse in Proverbs 4:23 that says Keep [guard] thy heart with all diligence [that means out of all things that you guard, guard your your heart the most]; why? because out of it are the issues of life.

What you do in your life proceeds out of your heart. If there is sin that manifests itself in your life, it was first in your heart.

To continue to understand the next few verses, and in reality, to be able to understand what the Bible says about salvation, we need to understand a few key doctrines, or foundational teachings.

The Doctrine of Sin

It is extremely important to understand this doctrine. If we do not understand the doctrine of sin, then it is impossible to understand why Jesus died on the cross. The doctrine of sin is what explains to us the reason why, having 12 legions of angels at his command, Jesus did not call upon any of them to wipe out those that were causing his suffering. Properly understanding the doctrine of sin allows us to understand why Jesus drank the cup of God's wrath and took it upon himself. The only way to understand the doctrine of salvation is to understand the doctrine of sin.

First, we see that sin could only be dealt with by the coming of God the Son, Jesus, from heaven into this earth as a man.

The doctrine of sin teaches us that all mankind since Adam and Eve have been born with sin (Romans 5:12). It teaches us that sin separates us from God until it is dealt with and washed away. (Romans 3:23). It teaches us that we cannot do anything ourselves to wash away or atone for our own sins (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8-9). The doctrine of sin tells us that we are all condemned to a separation from God because of our sin (Romans 6:23).

The doctrine of sin therefore necessitates the doctrine of regeneration.

The Doctrine of Regeneration

The doctrine of regeneration is the teaching that says we can be made new creatures by being born again. Jesus explained this process to Nicodemus in John chapter 3. He said that unless a man is born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Without a new nature and a new heart given by Jesus Christ, it is impossible to be saved from the condemnation of our sin.

Ephesians 1:7 is one of the passages that shows us that we are cleansed and made new only by the blood of Jesus, and by no other way. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

When Jesus ate his last supper with the disciples, upon blessing the cup, he said, "Take, drink, this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins."

"Marvel not," Jesus said to Nicodemus, "that I say unto you, 'you must be born again." This is done through Jesus alone and it is a work of the Holy Spirit. It is not a process, just like physical birth is not a process, it is a happening. On August 23rd, 1984, I was not yet born, but on August 24th, 1984, I was born.

On August 29th, 1998, I was not saved; I was not born again. But on August 30th, 1998, I was born again after trusting Jesus as the only person that could save me and then asking Him to forgive my sins and save my soul. It was not a process, it was a happening. That is the day I was made into a brand new creature.

Now, God drawing me to himself; the Holy Spirit convincing me of the need for a savior because of my sin, that was a process that I believed started at the age of eight years old for me, but the day I was born again was the day I placed my trust in Jesus and in that trust asked Him to save me, being fully aware of my sin and the fact that I could not erase it myself.

Understanding God's Love in Light of the Doctrine of Sin

A true grasp of the doctrine of sin allows us to grasp the greatness of God's love for us.

The doctrine of sin, that tells us that we are all sinners, deserving of eternal punishment of hell, brings us to the point of recognizing our poorness of spirit. It brings a person to the point of mourning over their sin. A person understanding the reality of sin will hate that sin and hunger and thirst for righteousness and will fly to Jesus to abide in Him.

This understanding of the doctrine of sin helps us to understand the profound love of God toward us.

Have you ever felt that your love for God is weak? Has there ever been a time where you felt that your love for Him is not as great as it should be? Have you ever read the biographies of other Christians or heard of others' love for God and wondered why your love is not as great as theirs?

Why is it that sometimes we do not love God as we should? It is because we forget what He has done for us through His Son Jesus. When we realize the magnitude of sin, only then can we realize the magnitude of God's love for us.

Jesus illustrates this for us in an amazing parable. I will not read it out, but I will give you the Cliff's Notes version. If you want to read it and study it, please make a note of reading Luke 7:36-50.

Jesus has been invited to a Pharisee's house to eat with him. This Pharisee's name is Simon (not the disciple). When Jesus arrives to Simon's house, none of the common courtesies were extended to him. Simon did not offer to wash Jesus' feet, he did not offer him scented oil to him to cover the odor of sweat after a day of walking around in the heat, and lastly, Simon did not greet Jesus with a kiss, which was a sign of being a welcomed guest.

Yet, as they sat out in an outer portion of the house to eat, a woman, a known sinner from that town, came to Jesus, poured out a case of very expensive perfumed oil on Jesus feet and began to weep profusely - so much so that her tears were enough, combined with the perfume, to be able to wash the dust off of Jesus' feet. She then proceeded to wipe Jesus' feet and dry them with her hair. after that, she continually kissed Jesus' feet.

Simon looks at the woman and at Jesus, and knowing the reputation of this lady, thinks within his heart, If Jesus knew who this woman was, he would not want her around him, and he definitely would not want her touching him.

Jesus, being God and knowing Simon's heart says to Simon, "Simon, I've got a story to tell you." And Simon the Pharisee says, "Say on."

"There was once a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred pence (which would equal to just over $29,000) and the other owed him 50 pence (about $2,900). When neither of these men were able to pay on their debts, the creditor decided to forgive both debtors." Jesus then asks Simon this question, "Who do you think loved this creditor the most?"

Simon responded, "Well, obviously the one that would love that creditor the most would be the one that was forgiven the most." And Jesus responds, "You are right." And then he says, "You see this woman here? When I entered your house, you didn't give me water to wash my feet, you didn't anoint my head with oil, and you didn't even welcome me with the customary kiss on the cheek. This woman here, however, came and has washed my feet with her hair, poured out this whole box of expensive oil on my feet, and has not stopped kissing my feet since she arrived. So Simon, I want you to know, that her sins, which are indeed many, are forgiven, because she loved much.

"Simon, to those who love much, much is forgiven, but to those who love little, little is forgiven."

Simon, who had invited Jesus into his own home to eat his food did not love Jesus, so his sins were not forgiven him. The reason Simon did not love Jesus were two: 1) Simon did not know who Jesus was (the Son of God, the Messiah). He belonged to the group of people who were curious about Jesus, but that was all. And 2), Simon did not understand the magnitude of his sin. Simon, as a Pharisee, thought he was alright. He was righteous, blameless in front of all others. He was of those people that justified themselves before others. He kept the letter of the law, not understanding that his very lifestyle and teachings were absolutely contrary to the spirit of the law. In his eyes, he did not need forgiveness, and therefore did not receive forgiveness. He knew the woman needed forgiveness, but did not realize that his own sin condemned him to the same fate that this other woman was condemned to as well. He saw her as a sinner, and she was. But his attitude and Jesus' words show us that he thought of himself as righteous, which he was not.

This woman, however, understood the magnitude of her sin. She recognized who Jesus was. She poured out the most expensive thing that she owned, and if you study the culture, this box would have been extremely valuable to her more than even the money that it represented; as it represented her ability to ever get married. This would have been part of if not all of her dowry. Without it, she would have been seen as worthless to marry. But she poured it out on Jesus' feet because she knew that even having that, without him she was spiritually bankrupt. She mourned for her sin, drenching Jesus' feet in tears. She showed her submission by kneeling at his feet and wiping the dust and grime from Jesus' feet with her hair. And then she was forgiven. When she walked away from that encounter, she loved Jesus a lot, because she truly understood the magnitude of her sin and the magnitude of God's love toward her because he forgave all her sins.

I think we often forget the magnitude of our sins. We get sucked into the trap of comparing ourselves with others. "Well, I have never beat my wife or kids, so I'm not as bad as my neighbor. I've never drank so much that I passed out and couldn't remember the events of the weekend, so I'm not as bad as my friend. I've never done drugs so I'm not as bad as the people living on the street, selling their bodies for another hit of their drug of choice."

We get sucked into that mentality as Christians sometimes, and we forget that our eternal soul, if it were not for Jesus Christ, would still be on the same road to the same lake of fire that those without Jesus are on!

How much has God forgiven you? EVERYTHING! We forget, or are ignorant of the fact, that the moment we broke one law, we became guilty of all the law. That is what James 2:10 says. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. If all my life I were to keep all the commandments and break just one of them, I become guilty and liable for ALL of them.

You may be tempted to think, "I've never done drugs, never murdered anyone, never stole anything, never bowed down to an idol, never even ran a stop sign." But the moment you told that "little, white lie" you became guilty and liable and punishable for ALL the law. Because all the law hangs on two commandments, Love God, Love your neighbor. All of the law hang on those two things so the moment you broke one, they all came tumbling to the ground.

Do you see now how gigantic the problem of sin is?

02JUN2024