Bulging Eyes Series

Series: Cliff Hangers

Jesus teaching from the Sermon on the Mount:

These teachings were risky, some would even say very dangerous, they would be teachings that would be opposite of what the religious leaders of the day were teaching, and they would become points of dissension and points of exhilaration. Some people would rejoice and others sigh. Some would be happy and others angry. What Jesus was teaching them he put them all on the edge of their seats. His teachings made people nervous and yet it changed the way people of His day thought or perceived what the Kingdom of Heaven was. Jesus’ teaching along with their acceptance by the crowd would change the course of history between God and mankind. The people would be blown away by what Jesus taught and the religious leaders would pick up a spirit of offense against Jesus and seek His life for these teachings.

Summary of first four sermons from the series:

Sermon 1: Matthew 5:1-12 – “Who does God Bless?” According to Jesus it’s those who follow the 8 be-attitudes of verses 3-11. These are the types of people God blesses and these are the kind of people who are part of the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore will receive the accompanying promises.

Sermon 2: Matthew 5:13-16 – “Salt and Light” Jesus tells the crowd that people who are part of the Kingdom of Heaven will be a preserving force in this society and light in the midst of darkness. These light bearers will help lead people out of the darkness of sin into the light of God’s love.

Sermon 3: Dave’s message “Old vs. New”

Matthew 5:17-20 - Jesus makes it clear in this passage that His teaching – His new spiritual insights are given not to do away with the Law but to fulfill the Law and the teachings of the Prophets. He tells them that if they follow the beatitudes, the charge to be salt and light and abide by His spiritual truths then they will be called “Great” in the Kingdom of Heaven. But He makes it real clear that if their righteousness does not surpass that of the religious leaders then they will not be able to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Sermon 4: Really Bad Sin! (What does it look like?)

Scripture Text: Matthew 5:21-26: Be careful how you rate sin because Jesus has a different scale than you do. Make sure to follow His scale and not yours! Jesus places un-forgiveness and murder on the same sin level and lets us know it receives the same judgment as well.

Sermon 5: “Bulging Eyes”

Matthew 5:27-30: 27“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’

28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If 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. 30And 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.”

Introduction:

The bulging eye’s disease which Jesus is talking about here is directly related to what our minds and hearts dwell on. When Jesus readjusts the false scale for sin he makes it clear that lusting after another is already the first step of sin and the same judgment that comes from committing adultery is the same judgment for the one who lusts after another.

This whole act of looking, staring, dreaming and fantasizing is rooted in the sinful nature and is directly related to the porn industry of today.

Good Magazine shows a number of stats about the internet pornography industry in the U.S.:

• 89% of porn is created/made in the U.S. (Mostly in California)

• $2.84 billion in revenue was generated from U.S. porn sites in 2006

• $89 a second is spent on porn

• 72% of porn viewers are men, 28% are women

• 260 new porn sites go online every day with the design to hook young viewers

Many are recognizing the danger of bulging eyes to our families, marriages and even

our society. But many others are taking advantage of this sin to make themselves millions of

dollars without regard to its impact on American Society.

Highlight article from http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-585049.html:

“Porn in the U.S.A.” by Rebecca Leung:

Consumer demand is so strong that it has seduced some of America’s biggest brand names, and companies like General Motors, Marriott and Time Warner are now making millions selling erotica to America…"Corporations are in business to make money. This is an extremely large business and there’s a great opportunity for profits in it." In 2002, Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, pulled in $50 million from adult programming. All the nation’s top cable operators, from Time Warner to Cablevision, distribute sexually explicit material to their subscribers. But you won’t read about it in their annual reports. Same with satellite providers like EchoStar and DirecTV, which is owned by Hughes Technology, a subsidiary of General Motors…