The Heart of Adultery

You all may be seated, and children you are free to go to your class. We pray the Lord would be with you as he is with us this morning.

Good morning, Exodus Church. It is a joy to be here again with you this morning, I am eager to continue our series on Wisdom from the Mount, but before we do I want to lay a little groundwork for our passage today. And I am going to start with what is a small but impactful point.

The bible is the greatest book ever written. For the Bible is much more than a book. It is the word of the God. It is the written record of the voice of YHWH that spoke from the mountain to his people. It is a book that is sweeter than honey, it is a book that is sharper than any sword that cuts at our heart, it is the book that trains us in righteousness, the book that gives us hope, the book that will remain as heaven and earth pass away, the book that does not return empty, and the book that makes us complete to fulfill the good works that the father has predestined us for. The Bible is more than a mere book.

And what is so glorious about the bible is that you have multiple men, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who joined together tell one cohesive story. And it is a story with one central theme, the center, the theme, the main point of all of scripture is that it is about Jesus. As we read the bible, we are always in some manner reading about Christ. The Old Testament points to Christ, the Gospels tell us about the incarnation of Christ, and the rest of the New Testament is a commentary about Christ. And this is so glorious because Christ is what reveals all of the mysteries and shadows that we find throughout the Old Testament. When we read the Old Testament, we see that the old covenant was pointing to a greater reality, a more glorious covenant that was to come all found in Jesus.

When we read about the sacrifices, or kings, or the exodus story, or the patriarchs they are pointing to greater thing - to Jesus.

Now what we must not do when reading the Old Testament is reverse the order. We can read about the sacrifices and think in our own minds, these are the real sacrifices, and Jesus is sign that points back to them. Or we can read about King David and think he was the real king, and Jesus just claims the title of king to make his point. This is a terrible error, for the lesser thing is always pointing to the greater more glorious truth. Jesus is the true sacrifice, Jesus is the true king, and everything in the Old Testament is pointing to this fact.

Now I think one of the places where we can most quickly make this mistake is when it comes to marriage. We can think that marriage is just another example that God uses to explain Christ and his church. But it is much deeper than that. From the beginning of creation, God has planned out the idea that marriage would be a type and shadow pointing us to God. Ephesians 5:31-32 is where the apostle Paul tells us that marriage is a representation of Christ and his bride. It says:

Ephesians 5:31–32 ESV

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

This profound mystery is found in the fact that when a man and woman come together, they join in marriage, as they say I do and live the rest of their lives together, this is a symbol that is pointing us to the relationship between Christ and his church. And if this is true, which it is, this has major implications. For our marriages are no longer about us, they are no longer about our families, or our lives - instead marriage is a sign with the main purpose being to show how Christ and his Church interact. This is a very heavy weight to bear for those of us who are married. For our interactions in our marriages are making a direct statement about God and the Church. It can be a true statement or it can be a false statement. If you are married at all times you are making a public declaration about Christ, and we must not lie about God.

In marriage we tell people who Christ is and how he acts. Husbands are you telling people that Christ is a loving and gracious God, or do your actions state that Christ is a domineering, uncaring husband. Wives are you telling people that the Church submits to Christ in love and follows his lead, or do you tell people that the Church shirks the duty of submission and is a quarrelsome, complaining bride. These are the questions we must ask ourselves if we are married. We must realize that our marriage is always making a claim about Christ and his church, and we must determine if this claim is true or false. This is the framework we must have in place as we continue our series on Wisdom from the Mount. If we do not understand the typology of marriage, then we can miss what Jesus is saying our passage today.

This morning, we will be in Matthew chapter 5 verses 27-32. If you have your bibles please turn with me and we will read the entirety of the passage to see what Christ has to say about the relationship between man and woman, husband and wife, and ultimately Christ and his bride.

Matthew 5:27–32 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. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 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.

This is the word of the Lord

Jesus continues with a phrase that he has been using throughout the sermon on the mount. You have heard it said. Jesus is saying to the crowds and his disciples, you know the law, you have been taught in the books of Moses, you know what the scribes and pharisees say about this, that you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, God in the flesh, the original law giver turns this upside down. And says that adultery is not just a physical act, its not just when you cheat on your spouse with another person, no adultery is first and foremost a heart issue.

Matthew 5:28 ESV

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

Now you and I can hear these words from Jesus and think well of course, this is obviously a sinful thing to look at a woman with lust. But it was not so to the crowds that Jesus was speaking to. The Pharisees and the religious rulers' teachings on this verse was much different than what Jesus says. The original view of this verse that Jesus was teaching at this point in history was that adultery was only committed when a man slept with a woman who was married. So adultery was only the sin of adultery in a very specific case. Now there were other sins of fornication and other sexual perversions, but adultery only happened when you had a man having a relationship with a woman married to another man.

The Pharisees are attempting to take a rule of God and go right up to the line of sin without actually sinning. It's like the kids who put a finger right up to your face but say I’m not touching you! This is what the pharisees have done, well adultery is only a very specific circumstance, so as long as we don’t have relations with a married woman then we are holy before God.

And so, Jesus is taking the teachings of the religious leaders of his day and completely reversing it. Jesus now gives the true definition of adultery; it is lustful looking of any woman. And this applies to men and woman, if you look with lust upon anyone, you have committed adultery in your heart. It doesn’t matter if they are married or not, and it doesn’t matter if you actually act upon this desire, no it is anyone who looks with a lustful intent, they are an adulterer.

And this can see intense, strict, like Jesus is expanding the law so much that now it is impossible to ever have any shot of keeping the law. And that's exactly right. And it's because we must remember what marriage is, what the relationship between a man and a woman represents. It is not just about you and your spouse; it is about Christ. It is about his love for his church and the churches submission to him.

This is why even looking at someone with lust is adultery, whether you are single or married. Because to look with lust and someone other than the person you have covenanted with is to lie about Christ. It is to say that Christ loves his bride, the church, and he has other brides hidden away somewhere. Or to look with lust is to say that the church loves Christ but it also loves worshipping at altars of Baal. We must not lie about Christ and his Bride. To lust is to break two commandments, thou shalt not commit adultery and thou shalt not lie.

To do this is a heinous sin. It ruins our relationship with other people, and it also ruins our relationship with God. To live in this sin is to put at risk your very soul. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. This is a scary statement, that those who live in consistent sexual immorality will not inherit the kingdom, they will be cut off, cast away from the vine. But that is not the end of the verse Paul says at the end, and such were some of you. Some of you saints, have been included in his list but there is hope. Do not despair. For those in Christ, those who have the Holy Spirit are those who will one day have freedom from these sins. Beloved, there is nothing that separate you from the love of God, yes lust is a grievous sin, but if you are in Christ there is hope. You have been washed and are in the process of being sanctified and this sin does not define you. There is forgiveness and there is the power of the Holy Spirit to put this sin to death. Church this is good news. For the blood of Christ is powerful enough to forgive your sins and release you from the bondage of sin and lead you to walk in newness of life. If you are in Christ, then he has purchased you and you are no longer a slave to sin, but instead you have been given the Spirit to equip you to mortify sin and be conformed in the image of Jesus. This is who you are church. You have been bough and washed in the blood of Christ. You are his bride. Rejoice in this fact and put away the old man and walk in the spirit. For it is only those who have been washed in the spirit who have any chance of fighting against this sin.

But how do we do this you might ask? Jesus gives us instruction on how to do this. If we look at Matthew 5:29-30 we will Jesus’ instruction for fighting sin.

Matthew 5:29–30 ESV

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.

Jesus gives us the way to combat lust, and it is through radical, over the top, extreme measures to avoid sin. Jesus says that if something is causing you to sin, get rid of it. Cast it away. Now to be clear, Jesus is not suggesting that we actually walk around with one arm and no eyes. No what he is saying is that we are to live as if we have cast these away. Live as if you have no eyes, don’t look. Don’t give a lingering stare or a second glance. Act as if you have destroyed these body parts so that sin may have no hold of and so that you may not go to hell.

This is the very truth of the matter, do we value our souls and their eternal state more than we value whatever is tempting us to sin? Do we realize what is at stake when we are battling lust and adultery? Because if we don’t then we will lose our very souls to the fires of hell. This is what's at stake. Through Christ we must make war on sin, because if we don’t then we will perish. The only way out is through fighting against our sinful hearts and thoughts.

We must be like Joseph, the man who was so committed to sexual purity that when faced with temptation he ran away. This must be our approach we must run from sin, we must flee and never look back. To get rid of all temptation in our lives.

If you are struggling with lust, then the biblical response is destroyed whatever is tempting you. Men if you are struggling with pornography then you need to get rid of all temptation. Your laptop, smart phone, or tv in your phone, get rid of them if they are leading you to sin. Throw it away. Your soul is at stake. Women if you struggle with the romance novels that are simply erotica in disguise then get rid of whatever is causing you to sin. Throw away your kindle or delete your audible account. Cut them off, throw them away, your very soul is at stake. Get rid of your temptation and instead turn to Christ. Pray, memorize scripture, walk in community, find an older mature Christian to hold you accountable. Fight this sin through the power of Christ and within the bride of Christ so that you may be free from all sin and temptation.

Do not perish because you are unwilling to give up what is tempting you. Follow the example of our forefather Joseph and flee from sexual sin. Thats not a metaphor either. If you are in a place of temptation and sinful desires then get up and run. Sprint. Feel the fires of hell nipping at your heels and get away.

This is the Christian response to lust. This is how we keep our hearts pure from sin, and this is how we keep from lying about the relationship between Christ and his bride. For sin is ugly, it lies it ruins relationships and destroys everything in its path. This is what sin does, whether you are single or married, lust will do whatever it can to destroy you. And it is not just lust; there are other ways sin affects how our marriages and lives point to Christ. Lust is not the only form of adultery; Jesus tells us that there is another form. There is another way in which we can fail to tell the truth about Christ and the Church. For sin is not content with only attacking from one angle. Look with me now at the rest of our passage, Matthew 5:31-32

Matthew 5:31–32 ESV

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 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.

Again Jesus goes to the crowd and tells them what they know. A man may give his wife a certificate of divorce. But I say to you. But I say to you. Jesus, the Lord speaking from the mountain expands upon the law. He explains what the Law really means. And the law tells us that there is another form of adultery. It is not just lust in the heart it is also when a man or woman abandons there covenant vows. To vow to be with someone and then to cast that vow aside and marry someone else is adultery. Jesus comes to combat not only the heart but also the wicked practices of his day. A world in which divorce was common and allowed for a multitude of reasons.

This sounds familiar to us because it is the world we now live in as well. We live in a world where we have what is called no fault divorce. Where you can divorce someone because of “irreconcilable differences.” Where we see celebrities who have marriages that don’t last long enough for them to have gotten an oil change. Where a man and wife can break a covenant made before man and God simply because they want to. This is the state of our world. But even the world realizes that divorce is not good, one secular philosopher stated, “if it's what she wants, and its what he wants, then whys there so much pain?” Even our world realizes that divorce is a terrible thing, but there is no grounding for what makes it so awful, and this is because they don’t realize that marriage is about something much bigger than 2 people who are married.

Let me be frank here, divorce is a terrible thing. It harms everyone it affects. It will destroy relationships between couples and children and families and churches. Even when it is done biblically there is still a damage that is done that cannot be repaired. We must not view divorce as the world does but instead view it as God does, as a terrible tragedy that is the result of sin. Sin that cuts deep and leaves scars. If you have been affected by divorce, you know this to be true.

We know that marriage is a type it is has a function that exists to point people to Christ. This is what marriage is. It is first and foremost a proclamation of the gospel that is shared to all those who see our marriage.

This is not to say that marriage isn’t hard. This isn’t to say that there aren’t situations that God has allowed for divorce to take place, Jesus here in our passage tells us that if there is sexual immorality then divorce is permissible. But this is not how our world views divorce. And Christians must not take their views on divorce from the world. We must see it as God sees it.

As Christians we must understand that marriage is hard, there are two sinners coming together and vowing to love and take the other. And if there is one thing, we all know, is that we as sinners break our promises. We struggle, we fight, we sin against the person we love the most. But we confess, we repent, we pray, we kill the sin in our lives so that we may be a faithful gospel witness. We fight till death do us part to be faithful to our covenant and to honestly proclaim how Christ and his bride interact.

The great scholar GK Chesterton has one of my favorite quotes on marriage - he says, “Marriage is a duel to the death which no man of honor should decline.” Marriage is a duel, it is a fight, a fight against our own sin, our own selfishness, but it is a glorious fight because it points others to Christ. It is a duel, a duel with sin, a duel with our own selfish hearts, a duel with a world that says that divorce is nothing more than a breakup like you had in high school.

Church, my encouragement and exhortation to you this day is to face this duel well. Stand tall and proud and take your shot and do everything in your power to kill sin. To mortify the flesh. To make sure your life has no whisper of adultery in it. Adultery is a sin that leads to hell. Lust is not something to play with, instead you must rely on Christ to mortify this sin. Adultery is a sin against your fellow man, it is a sin against your spouse, but even more so it is a sin against God. It is a lie that is spread about Christ or his church. It is a lie that says that Christ loves those he has not entered into covenant with. It is a lie that says the church worships and submits to a god other than the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a lie that says that the covenant can easily be broken.

Church, thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Instead mortify the sin, flee from temptation, cut off whatever is tempting you to sin, for in doing so your own soul may be saved. This is not of your own doing but instead done through the power of the Holy Spirit for those who are found in Christ. For lust is a heart issue, it affects your very soul. You cannot play with this sin. Adultery is a grievous sin, and it can infect your heart. Go to Christ there is forgiveness in him, and there is power to fight this sin.

Let me end by remind you of the words of the apostle Paul.

Or do you not know that the sexually immoral, the adulterers, will not inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

You have been washed Exodus church, you have been sanctified and justified in the great and glorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. You Exodus church will inherit the kingdom of God.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Amen

Almighty God, graciously grant that Your Word, which we have heard, may be inscribed inwardly on our hearts. As we receive Your Word meekly with pure affection, may our hearts be filled with love and reverence for You. Cause us to bear the fruit of the Spirit and to live in holiness, diligently following Your commandments. And may it please You to use us to lead those who are lost, wandering, and confused into the way of truth. All this we pray for the honor and praise of Your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns now and forever, age after age. Amen