Posted by Anne Witton on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 Under: Talks
As part of our Sermon on the Mount series at church, I gave a short talk on Jesus' teaching about adultery and lust from Matthew 5: 27 - 30.
Talk outline:
The problem of the heart
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
(a) The Bible doesn’t say that sex is bad
(b) Jesus is talking about all forms of sexual immorality
Our heart condition is serious
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, 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 go into hell.”
(a) Sexual temptation is powerful
(b) Sexual sin is massively damaging
Jesus transforms our hearts
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”