Heart Check

Intro:

Ted Bundy - VERMONT 1970’s college graduate who worked a few minimum wage jobs until he worked at a suicide prevention hotline. He was described as a charming man that everyone loved. His last name… Bundy - many of you know this normal charming man was actually a rapist and murderer of over 3 dozen women. That no one batted an eye at.

John Wayne Gacy - Chicago in the 90’s, shoe-salesman, husband and childrens B-day party clown known as Patches - was actively involved in his community described as an upright citizen, LAST NAME… Gacy - No one knew that he was sexually assaulting and murdering over 33 young men

Andrew Cunanan - SDSU graduate in the late 90’s was an ABOVE average guy, with an IQ of 147 making him a legal genius was described by classmates as a charming and smart student who loved fashion. LAST name Cunanan… murdered 5 people in a row including Gianni Versace and then committed suicide

CONNECTION: Isn’t is terrifying that Serial Killers can be our next door neighbor, our classmate - your everyday, average person on the outside but inwardly and secretly EVIL MURDERERS… WHY IS THAT? BECAUSE...

When it comes to MURDER & ADULTERY the problem is in the heart,

There is an unaddressed heart issue that finally manifested itself.

They are average humans like you and I who never addressed the inward issue, who never checked their hearts...

so in our passage tonight Jesus begs us to...

Prop: Attack the issue at the Heart

So lets allow God to X-Ray our hearts to see if there are any similarities between us and killers and cheaters.

If there is any hint of a similarity we must deal with it quickly and drastically

Matt 5:20 ““For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

This statement sets up the following passage. Pharisees were the MOST righteous society had to offer and Jesus pretty much says EVEN they will not get into heaven. Citizens of heaven have a greater righteousness. Not MORE righteousness but greater.

So it isn’t that pharisees have obeyed 99 out of 100 commands and those in heaven need to get 100. But that citizens of heaven have a DIFFERENT KIND of righteousness and thats really the theme of this entire sermon isn’t it? That Christians are different!

So the way they approach and obey the law is different, its true, it is ACTUAL obedience - So again we must compare our hearts to those of a murderer and adulterer to see if there are any similarities...

1. The heart of a KILLER v.21-26

Jesus doesn’t come in and CHANGE the original law given in the 10 commandments, he just gives a proper and authoritative interpretation of it. Who better to tell you what something means than the author?

The state of Isreal was one similar to Europe PRE-REFROMATION

The average people didn’t have access to or the ability to READ God’s word - it was all delivered by scribes - SO Jesus was correct when he said you have HEARD it said - the people had only HEARD God’s law improperly interpreted and delivered by scribes and pharisees.

So everyone thought God’s law was to merely not kill anyone - pretty easy - Jesus comes in and DEEPENS the Law - he actually makes the demand more difficult to adhere.

Most people will get through life without murdering someone BUT how many will get through life without INSULTING someone, without even being ANGRY at someone?

The bar has been raised - this is why NOT EVEN the pharisees are righteous enough for heaven. BECAUSE NO one is righteous not even one.

Im reminded of 1 Sam 16:7 “for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.””

Let this sink in for a moment; The anger you feel towards someone but internalize and the anger Ted Bundy feels while he externalized it, God sees as THE EXACT same - the punishment is equal “fiery hell”

‘Do not listen to the scribes and pharisees who say you are ONLY in danger of judgement when you actually murder a man, I say to you that if you are angry with your brother you are exposed to precisely the same demand and the same punishment.’

Well that’s DIFFERENT isn’t it, counter cultural.

Today we live in an arena that says as long as you SAY and DO and POST the right thing you are morally excellent - you’re good.

That’s why every company in America posted a black square on Instagram yet literally changed NOTHING else

God doesn’t want Virtue Signaling Christians who do the bare minimum externally but avoid the internal issue of their heart.

Let me ask you what stage is the cancer of anger at in your heart? I hope it hasn’t culminated in murder.. if so (talk to your small group leader or the police)

But maybe it is at stage 1 - a feeling of contempt

Someone does something you don’t like, they say something offensive to you or behind your back. They give you a dirty look, they hang out with YOUR best friend, they don’t give you the attention you want, whatever it is - when you respond with that burning feeling that wants them out of your way, to be irrelevant, to not exist, you’ve just murdered them in your heart

Or maybe it is at a further stage - the feeling has expressed itself through words

Raca “you’re worthless” its literally saying I wish you were dead

It may not be a physical murder but its as close as we can get with our tongues

We murder their reputation by spreading lies about them

We murder their spirit by criticizing and fault finding

Murder isn’t just physical destruction but destruction of spirit and soul

So then now what? Maybe like me in my study you sit their with the X-Ray results of your heart and find it is filled with subtle anger - well like a patient who has learned of a cancerous tumor - grab the spiritual scapol and get to work - Rip out and repent of the ways that you have allowed anger to live in your heart.

An what you will find as the space in your heart is emptied of sin it must be filled with rightousness and Jesus gives the exact perscription we need to take, to PUT ON in place of the ugly, muderous sin of anger

READ v. 23-26

Modern Day Translation “If you are in church, in the middle of a service of worship, and you suddenly remember that your brother has a grievance against you, leave church at once and put it right. Do not wait till the service has ended. Seek out your brother and ask his forgiveness. First go, then come. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your worship to God.”

How fake are the words “Oh to be like you, give ALL I have just to know you” when we HATE those he loves. Don’t sing lies - if you love God, you love who he loves - GO and reconcile relationship before you THINK of offering up worship.

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

All men, not just those IN the church BUT also outside of it V.25

We just talked about Salt and Light - the only reason people shouldn’t like us is because of our faith - because we are unwavering on the truth - because our righteous living condemns them.

How wrong we are to think that conflicts with unbelievers are OKAY because they aren’t saved anyways - we will never win people to Christ if we are fighting against them.

Now as we have evaluated the heart of a MURDERER we may have seen we are more like them then we thought - attack the issue at the heart - don’t look for the practical application - but total annihilation - ELIMINATE the existence of this horrendous sin

You cannot PUT anything ON until you have PUT the sin OFF

2. The heart of a CHEATER v.27-30

How long, on average, does it take someone before the commits adultery?

20 years, 10 years, 5 years?… No 13 milisenconds (the time it takes for your brain to identify an image) because Jesus says when you JUST LOOK with LUST you have undressed and violated that person in your mind.

So then What’s the difference between a man cheating on his wife and a man watching pornography - NOTHING. The sin is the same by God’s standards.

How DANGEROUS it is when we try to take God’s demands and make them more attainable.

We lie to ourselves and say “Well as long as I don’t act upon what I see Im okay”

Or “I will fast forward through the bad scenes”

Or “We can move past our boundaries just this once”

Or “If I just CUT down on how often I look at these videos or pictures - Im okay”

Do not take God’s commands and manipulate them to be more achiveable, because that is the quickest way to hell

ILLUS: Imagine the doctors says yep tests are in, you’re alergic to peanuts - Now you must not eat anything with peanuts. And when he walks out you look at some Reeces and say well As long as I eat less peanuts than before or if its just peanut BUTTER - im all good.

The effects of twisting God’s law to be more comfortable and archivable is the worst thing possible for our spiritual life… in fact it often will lead to spiritual death

So what do we do, when we see that lust has settled in our heart?

We take the great Physician's RADICAL prescription and READ v.29-30

You must see that your sin is serious, you’re playing with fire, you’re dancing on the edge of a cliff AND ACTUAL believers will not get as close as they can to cancerous sin but will run as far as they can from it.

Illus: Growing up my parents always said you can’t go anywhere until you clean your room - so rather than me going back, vacumming, dusting, putting clothes on the hamper, throwing away the kit kat rappers in my bed from the late night snack - I would go up there - and shove clothes under my bed, I’d pull my comforter over everything on my bed - throw away some trash and then go downstairs and say “DONE!”

Isn’t it clear in these verses that Jesus doesn’t call us to the bare minimum but the extreme maximum.

Too many of us want to do the least work possible, take the easy route, delete an app, show up to a small group - so we can say “Don’t Lust… DONE!”

Well my outwardly clean but secretly filthy room didn’t stay secret for long - I remmeber the day my parents saw some clothes overflowing from the bottom of my bed, when they looked under they saw the donation center of goodwill

and I recieved the due punishment

If you continue to just “treat” your lust. just “manage” the symptoms BUT secretly hold onto it, and keep it around like a house pet - it will overflow out of your heart and into your life

Luke 12:2-3 ““But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Your sin will be exposed… if not soon then most definetly on the last day when God will judge us according to what we have done.

I’m here not to condemn you but to encourage you, That this sin CAN be defeated - by drawing near to the throne of Grace - by walking closely with Christ and choosing to follow Him no matter the cost.

Allow me in closing to draw your attention back to Matt 5:20 ““For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Maybe you sit here tonight - God has X-Rayed your heart and you see the results are not Good. Your heart has no life - it is spiritually deceased. You don’t need resuscitation, rejuvenation, revivification or revitalization YOU NEED a RE-CREATION - you need a RESSURECTION

Cry out tonight like David in the Psalms “Create in me a clean heart O God”

Oh how GOOD the Good news is - Jesus Christ is ready, willing and able to do the spiritual heart transplant that you desperately need. He will give you the rightousness that surpasses the pharisees, necessary to enter the K.O.H. … His own rightousness.

Jesus Christ lived a righteous life you couldn’t have, died the death you should of had and rose from the dead so you can have LIFE, life abundantly and life eternal - turn from your sin, PUT all your trust in Jesus before your physical heart stops beating and your sinful spiritual one is sent to its final destination… fiery hell

And believer - remember that Jesus is not giving a new expectation for you to accomplish but He is describing who you ALREADY are the moment you are saved.

You have been given a new heart - that has the ability to SAY NO to sin - the chains have been broken, you are free - live like it.

How can we who say we believe and love Jesus who freed us from sin - go running back to it. It’s a cruel master, it’s a liar, it has nothing for you - flee from it and pursue Christ. Through real physicl action - leave changed - with one less app then you had before, one less girlfriend then before, one less enemy than before

BUT ultimately leave with a heart that is under complete submission to the Lord. See we only hit 2 of 6 topic that Jesus brought up - he continues to talk about the issue of divorce, lying, revenge and loving your neighbor - and why because they all have 1 thing in common… their source - it is the heart

So whatever sin you are in or battling - attack it at the heart