 |
 |
||||
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries . . (NASB) Matt. 15:11, 19 We may fool those around us, but we cannot hide our lust from Him because He “examines our hearts” (1
Thess 2:4),
. . . God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (NASB) 1 Samuel 16:7 In my counseling experience, I have discovered that sexual sins appear to result in more heart-pain
than other sins. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us why.
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. (NASB) 1 Corinthians 6:19 Did you catch the phrase, “against his own body”? “You will not commit adultery,” is
a divine principle that God has put in our hearts - to be faithful to your spouse. And violation causes tremendous
inner pain!
King David is an example of pain in the heart. 2 Samuel 11:2 tells us that David arose from bed and went up
to the roof of the palace and walked around. Why he did this is not clear. Had he seen her before? It was evening
and Bathsheba may have assumed it was safe to bathe on the roof - escaping the hot house. Anyway, David finds
her and apparently stares at her. The Hebrew suggests she was exceptionally beautiful. He looked and looked
again. His emotions captured him. What followed was adultery with Bathsheba, the death of her husband, Uriah,
the death of their child, and great mourning. What heart pain!
Many people believe that they can look and not sin. But the Holy Spirit says,
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (NASB) James 1:14-15 David
looked at Bathsheba and he was tempted. Lust pulled on him to look some more.
Was Jesus Serious? How serious is Jesus about heart-lust? He is very serious. He tells us to gouge out our
right eye and cut off our right hand if they cause sin in our heart (Matt. 5:29-30). Why did Jesus use talk
about the eyes and hands? We understand the idea of looking with our eyes. Was Jesus also thinking about
touching with our hands, hugging one another, brushing against someone, the close encounter, or the lingering
touch? But Jesus does not really mean that we are to cut off our hand or remove our eye because when we look
left or right, both of our eyes move together. If Jesus was serious, He would have urged us to gouge out
both eyes. He did not. Jesus was making a point - do whatever you have to do to flee sin.
Removing Eyes and Hands. Many men and women struggle in this area and search the scriptures for help. Here
are some biblical principles that help us “remove our eyes and hands.”
Principle #1: Joseph provides a well known biblical example of how to respond - run. |
|||||
|
|||||
| Sermon on the Mount | |||||
