Message/Devotion
February 16, 2020
Matthew 5:21-37
The Oft-Dreaded Subject of SIN
The Reading
Murder Begins in the Heart
21 “You have heard that it was said to those [a]of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother [b]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’[c] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [d]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [e]hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Adultery in the Heart
27 “You have heard that it was said [f]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to [g]sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to [h]sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Marriage Is Sacred and Binding
31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.
Jesus Forbids Oaths
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of [j]old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let [k]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
The Message
Today’s gospel reading reiterates what we already know is sinful. So rather than go down verse for verse and comment on each verse, I am approaching today’s message a little differently. During my early morning prayer and meditation and before even reading the gospel for today, God laid it in my heart to talk about the sin in our lives in a very different way.
In your heart of hearts, ask yourself how well you’ve done in keeping those New Year’s resolutions that you made just days ago. Kind of hard to do on your own in the hectic life that most of us maintain. And we are fast approaching the Lenten season and you will be thinking about “giving something up for Lent”. How’d your faithfulness go with that in years past? Neither example is necessarily a sin but shared to exemplify how we so easily get distracted from what we set out to do.
I AM a sinner and so are you. You don’t like identifying yourself as a sinner but that in no way alters the FACT. So perhaps the first important thing for us is to realize and admit that we are indeed sinners. You have heard me say many times that if you did not want to sin you would not sin. You are now probably thinking: “Whoa, pastor I do not want to sin” Really? Wouldn’t it be closer to the truth to say: “I do not want TO WANT to sin”? Think on that long and hard.
Very early on when I started pastoring a church in Vermont, a dear saint of a lady came to me after a service and said, “Pastor, I really want to forgive JOHN DOE, but I simply cannot.” There are things in all our lives that we say we would like to change but “we simply cannot”. I agree with that one hundred percent, if we admit that we cannot do it alone. We cannot overcome the habitual sins that we commit, because we cannot accept the fact that we want to but we don’t go to God saying, “God, I admit that I habitually say – do – think – or fail to do the long shopping list of those things that have us in their grip. I say that I do not want them, but the truth is that I DO NOT WANT TO WANT THEM. Lord, I am asking YOU to help me divest these things from my life.”
If you will be consistent and faithful with that prayer, you will begin to realize a big change in your attitude and in your life.
Here are a few verses from God’s Word that bears truth to this message. I encourage you to give them study and find applications for them in your daily walk.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:2
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to [a]bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:7-9
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward [a]us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Let’s all stand, hold hands and pray together. Going forward, let’s keep our emphasis on FOLLOWING JESUS and seeking the character of true righteousness!
Heavenly Father, thank you for this evening’s service and message. Heavenly Father send us your Holy Spirit to be a part of us in all matters of our lives. May your Holy Spirit guide us through the temptations of life that hold us in the grip of sin. We do not want TO WANT to sin. With your help, we seek to divest the temptations and desires that draw us away from You. May we obediently overcome; and may You be glorified in Your works. In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN
We love and serve God by loving and serving each other – EVERY each other.
Let us now go forth loving and serving God by loving and serving each other – EVERY each other.
I humbly and sincerely ask for your prayers!
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