²⁷ “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your hand—even your stronger hand —causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

 

Was Jesus serious or over the top? Is this hyperbolae or is Jesus saying that self-mutilation is OK?

What you cannot deny is that Jesus considers sin as serious. In this day and age when how you look and your health are so  much worshipped this may come as a shock. But our problem is that we are too wrapped up in our culture to see the truth from the idolatry around us.

So lets unpick this passage and try to refocus ourselves on the kingdom of heaven instead of the this world and its values.

²⁷ “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’

Modern Myth one

Adultery is the norm rather than the exception so it must be OK.

Jesus does not change the 10 commandments. They remain. Why? Because Marriage is about faithfulness and faithfulness is a fruit of the spirit and a treasure to be invested in  heaven.

 

²⁸ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

The modern myth two is that if is doesn’t affect anybody else, its not wrong. I can do what I like as long as I don’t hurt another. I can think what I like so long as I do not do it. So violent computer games, sexually explicit films, violent films, are all OK because what I do in the comfort of my own home is my business and not anybody else.

 

Wrong! Jesus says what you think matters so lust is adultery, it is unfaithfulness to your wife and to your God. But we kid ourselves that we can pretend to be good holy people while inside there is all kinds of evil.

 

Jeremiah 17:9 "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

 

That is why our gospel is so different from all other so-called ways. It tackles the source of evil in the world, the human heart and mind.

 

The Bible is consistent that sin begins in desire, leading to lust, leading to sin.

Go back to Adam and Eve in the garden:

 

Gen 3:6

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

 

She was convinced by the serpent’s argument that it was her human right (and we must have our human rights!), she longed for the fruit and the wisdom promised and that lead to the act of sin. At each step she had choices. Faith to remain loyal to God even against good argument; faith that what God said was good was better than what looked good but he had warned was bad.

 

And David on a spring morning.

2 Samuel 11:2-4

² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, ³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her.

We say

"What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over,"

Had David not seen he would not have been tempted.

The Bible does not say whether he raped her or bullied her or tricked her or that she was willing. The Bible only tells us it was wrong. It was adultery and it lead to murder. Sin is very destructive but this sin began innocently enough. An accidental exposure. But the eye began a train of events that David failed to stop. What he saw he lusted for. He could have battled with it and put Bathsheba out of his mind. He knew what was right but failed to deal with the lust. The lust turned to adultery, the adultery to deception and the failure to deceive to murder. At any point in this sorry tale David could have confessed and repented. It may have cost him the respect and the throne but Jesus tells us that holiness is more important than a good eye or your best hand.

 

1 John 2:15

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

 

There has always been temptation but today it is multiplied by open access to so much media. Whether it is TV, internet, adverts in public places the message is the same. “You like it, you have it. Don’t restrain yourself, indulge!” and we are served with every form of perversion that the human mind can invent in the name of entertainment.

It is not easy but Jesus knew that. In his pattern prayer he put these lines in:

 

¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

 

The heart of spirituality is the battle for our minds and hearts. If you are not being tempted it is because you are not posing a threat to the Devil. You have given up on holiness! But don’t. Jesus’ message is that holiness is so important it is better to be blind and maimed than give in to temptation!

 

I said last Friday at Alpha that Jesus said some tough things. This is one of them.

Let us be clear, self-mutilation is condemned in the Bible. So Jesus is not saying we should actually mutilate ourselves only that our relationship with God which depends on our holiness is all important.

 

So what you look at is a matter between you and God. Your TV viewing is not neutral. Your choices of programme are under scrutiny here because they are governed by what you desire. Desire is developed by justification “Everybody does it” “ I am being culturally aware”, “I am just enjoying  the good bits”.  Then temptation grows into “I will just experiment, I am sure it will not do me any harm”. And before we know it we are trapped, addicted and bound by sin, our relationship with the Father is cut off and we are the hollow men, missing out on the blessings that flow from the throne of grace.

 

The way back is to repent. While you remain unwilling to give up on sin, there can be no proper relationship with Jesus. The Devil will tell you that you have tried before and you will only fail again so why bother” But you need to listen to a different voice that says:

 

²⁸ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28

 

¹³ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1Corinthians 10:13

 

So confess your sins to your Father in Heaven. Recognise what you have lost. Return to God longing to be free and ask him to so fill your heart and mind that you reject temptation to lust at the first fence rather than the last.

 

I am not preaching a gospel that says come to Jesus and all your troubles will melt away. What I am preaching is a gospel where sin is dealt with, sins are forgiven, and the Holy Spirit can so fill our hearts and minds that we resist temptation and know that if we confess our sin , he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness I John 1 :9. It is then when we can experience the riches of his grace and the outflow of the Holy Spirit to others around us.

 

That is what we are going to talk about next week. So be here and in the mean time, do battle with temptation, go crying to the Father for forgiveness and help. Do not give up on holiness.

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