Matthew 5:27-30

DAY 34

Date: 1-12-25

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote. 

Adultery/Lust

Scripture 

Matthew 5:27-30

Pray

“O Lord . . . keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.” 1 Chronicles 29:18

In our passage last week, Jesus focused on the sixth of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not commit murder.” Now, this week Jesus moves on to teach on the seventh commandment, which says, “You shall not commit adultery.” 

Read scripture: Matthew 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, 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 right 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 go into hell.” (NIV 1984)

INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY METHOD

Observation. Interpretation. Application.

Simply stated, it works by asking yourself three questions as you study read and God’s Word:

1. What does it say? (Observation) Or – what does it NOT say?
2. What does it mean? (Interpretation) Or – what does it NOT mean?
3. How does this apply to me? (Application)

Let’s go thru today’s passage using the Inductive Method:

Observation – What does it say?

The Physical act of adultery is bad. (See the 7th Commandment)

But so is lust in the heart. (Coveteousness a broader term than lust, but very similar  – see the 10th commandment)

And roving eyes lead to sin in the heart.

It is literally better to be maimed than to go to hell. 

Just what is ”LUST?”

Definition of LUST:

a very powerful feeling of wanting something (*such as sex, power, money fame; any objects, whether tangible or intangible) Cambridge Dictionary

“The word “lust” usually means a strong desire for illicit sex, can, and times does mean, more generally a strong desire for something that you don’t have. In this latter, more general sense it can mean a strong desire for sex, or money or power or fame or prestige or recognition or even acceptance.”

Definition of ILLICIT:

illegal or disapproved of by society: Cambridge Dictionary

The Bible Speaks Today Commentary says, regarding lust, ” the true meaning of God’s command was much wider than a mere prohibition of acts of sexual immorality.”

In other words, the prohibition of adultery in the seventh commandmant, according to Jesus, was more than just “a mere prohibition of acts of sexual immorality.” It’s application was a prohibition of lust – or covetousness – in general. 

This is plainly spelled out in the tenth commandments, which the Pharisees very “conveniently” neglected to consider. 

The tenth commandment says, 

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (NIV 1984)

Application – How do I apply it to my life?

Don’t look! Use the “bounce” technique. 

Ask God to cleanse your heart. 

The Life Application Commentary sums the principles Jesus is teaching in all these sections in chapter 5, especially last weeks and this weeks. It says:

“Private sins” have a fatal attraction by appearing to be internal, hidden, secret. Jesus declared lustful looks to be sin. God is not bound by our privacy—our thoughts and emotions are as visible to him as our actions. From the divine perspective, they are actions. This, in part, explains their sinfulness. Lust also creates an offense before God by misusing one of his most powerful gifts—the capacity to reflect. That part of us most able to consider and appreciate our Creator, his Word, and his world, becomes increasingly toxic as we use it to consider sin. Unlike an offending eye or hand, a sinful mind cannot be removed. Don’t give in to lustful desires.” (*I would add – ANY lustful desires)

OVERVIEW of PASSAGE

Again, as murder starts in the heart, so too does adultery start in the heart. 

Just as unchecked anger (last week) has consequences, so does unchecked lust (of ANY kind).

Jesus says to deal with it early, before it becomes a bigger problem.

Our book says, “Because Jesus repeated this pattern twice (*last week and this week), we may take from it another underlying principle: It costs less to address the root of a sin early on than to carry the weight of the consequences of the sin fully developed as well as the weight of judgment before God. The earlier sin is dealt with, the better. (Holman Commentary) 

 I TOTALLY agree! Any sin, but especially lust is like a toothache. If you have a cavity, the sooner you fix it the better. It will not go away or get better on it’s own, but will only get worse and more painful the longer you put off dealing with it. 

Our book goes on to say, “We realize, of course, that lust originates in a person’s mind. Mutilating the body will not solve the problem.” (Holman Commentary) 

As a man, I am not sure I agree 100% with that last line. 

The Life Application Commentary reinforces this by saying:

In his teaching about lust, Jesus literally got to the heart of the matter by explaining that sin begins in the heart. With strong ­language Jesus described how his followers must rid themselves of sin. While we cannot be sinless until we finally are with Christ, we must keep a watch on our thoughts, motives, and ­temptations in the meantime. When we find a destructive habit or thought pattern, we need to “cut it out and throw it away.” (Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament)

The MAIN POINT

1. Lust is NOT just about adultery. It goes much broader and deeper than just the one sin of adultery.

2. The ESV Expository Commentary says, with respect to adultery and lust and the 7th Commandment,

“The tenth commandment demonstrates that the law aims for more than technical fidelity.”

What this is saying is that the spirit of the law, or the “heart” of the law is aiming higher than mere physical or outward compliance. 

It is aiming for an inner love of righteousness. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

APPLICATION

1. Do not allow any desire into your heart that God calls sinful.
2. Take steps not to look at, think about it, listen to it or even consider it or debate about it.
3. Love what God loves and hate what God hates – in your HEART.
4. Practice eliminating temptation from you mind, your heart and even your environment!
5. Ask God to help you desire good things, clean things, righteous thing, things that are pleasing to Him, and, if you really want that, He will help you do that. That is what the sixth Beatitude is all about. Having a pure heart.

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Relevant Verses

Numbers 15:37-41

The LORD said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ” (NIV 1984) 37 The LORD said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Throughout the generations to come you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel. 39 You will have these tassels to look at and so you will remember all the commands of the LORD, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. 40 Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated to your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’ ” (NIV 1984)

Proverbs 23:26 says,

26 My son, give me your heart
and let your eyes keep to my ways, (NIV 1984)

A great illustration of this can be found in Genesis 9:18-28.
Notice what Ham “saw” and what Shem and Japheth “would not see.“

This is a very clear illustration of what is in our hearts!

And Paul, in Philippians 3 tells us what we should look at: (in both the NIV and the ESV for comparison)

(NIV) Phi 3:17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.

(ESV) Phi 3:17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Ps 101:3 says (in both the NIV and the ESV for comparison)

(ESV) 3 I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.

(NIV 1984) 3 I will set before my eyes
no vile thing.

Isaiah 52:11 says,

“Depart, depart, go out from there! (from unclean things)*
Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure,” (NIV 1984)

And Paul says in 2 Cor 6:16-18

Therefore come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.” (NIV 1984)

Matthew 15:-18-20 

18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man ‘unclean’

Matthew 18:8-9

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. (NIV 1984)

See Exodux 20:14 & 17

See Leviticus 18 and 20 on sexual sins

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Notes:

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote.