07 Sins of the Heart

 

As we continue our study on the Mount of Blessing today, we will be studying something similar to what we looked at in the previous study. Last week we studied about how a person who hates their brother in their heart is the same as murdering them. Let’s look at the key passage today in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:27-28
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

What does Jesus equate here to committing adultery?

  • It is lusting after a woman in his heart.
  • This is obviously referring to the male species here. But of course, a woman can lust after a man in her heart as well.
  • This is similar to what we studied last week about a person who hates someone or is angry at someone and it is like murder. Why? Because they are holding those feelings in their heart for this person.
  • And in this case, a man who lusts after a woman in his heart is holding the thought of that woman constantly in his mind. He is thinking about her and longing after her.
  • This is different to just a passing thought. You’re driving on the road and you see a sign board on the side of the road advertising a car and there’s a woman standing next to it in little to no clothing. You quickly turn away from looking at it. You’re not holding that thought or picture in your mind. Instead, you start to pray and ask God to help you.
  • There will always be instances like that throughout life. Whether you’re walking by and see someone in the flesh like that. Or you’re scrolling through social media and one of your friends posts something like that about themselves or their friends.
  • In fact, the word lust means to set your heart upon it, to long for, to covet or desire.
  • There is an intentionality about keeping it in your mind and dwelling upon it.

Now maybe you might say that that is normal to hold on to something in your heart after you see it.

  • Yes, that is true to some extent. But to keep thinking about it, to keep holding on to that thought, to keep going back to look at that picture or visit that person, that is a choice that we can choose not to make!

This is what the Bible says about our eyes.

  • Matthew 6:22-23
    22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
  • We have to be so careful what we choose to look at. Truly our eyes are the avenues to our soul.
  • What we choose to look at will surely affect our thoughts and our feelings, and ultimately our character. It will affect us morally.
  • To look at a woman in our hearts today and lust after them is so easy. You don’t even need to leave your house anymore to do that.
  • The internet opens up the world of pornography so easily to us that we can hide in the secret of our rooms with these vices and not even a single person will know about it. It is so easy to commit adultery in our hearts today.

Isn’t there a difference between committing adultery and lusting after a woman?

  • If you go by the letter of the law, yes you can say that there is a difference. You haven’t actually slept with that woman. That’s true.
  • However, the reason that Jesus says that there isn’t a difference is because both begin in the heart.
  • And just like anger, we just lack the opportunity to do it or we lack the courage to do it in person.
  • But the spirit of the law tells us that we have sinned in our heart as much as having committed the act itself.

What is Jesus dealing with here?

  • Jeremiah 17:9
    The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
  • Christ is dealing with the heart. He knows how wicked our hearts are. And even though sometimes we think that we are clean, we are pure, we haven’t done anything wrong, the fact is that many of us are sinning in our hearts.
  • Matthew 12:34
    O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
  • Our hearts will dictate our actions, our words. And though we haven’t given them action yet, Christ says beware because you can still sin.
  • Proverbs 23:7
    For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
  • What we think in our hearts, it will shape us in our lives. Our thoughts can ultimately lead us to sin.

What’s interesting to note though is that Jesus only mentions two situations in regards to sinning in our hearts.

  • That’s anger or hatred towards another person, and lusting after a woman in our hearts.
  • Why only these two?
  • Well, if you look at the other commandments, even if you think about stealing and keep thinking about it, the fact is you haven’t stolen anything and it won’t affect you morally unless you are going beyond thinking about it and start planning it.
  • And even with lying. If you think about lying but you don’t actually lie, then it is not sin either.
  • Coveting after a man’s wife – yes that is what we are dealing with here today, adultery in the heart.
  • But coveting after a man’s house or car or phone or any of their possessions, even if you think about it and keep thinking about it, but you don’t steal from them or kill them for it, then it’s not sin.
  • So really, the only two instances that Jesus says our thoughts can be sin is hatred and lusting after a woman. Only these two fill the bill.

So how can we overcome this dreaded sin?

  • 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
    3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
  • The war is not the war in our actual flesh, it is in our minds. And the Bible tells us that we need to cast down every imagination and every high thing that goes against, or exalts itself against, the knowledge of God.
  • We have to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. That means we need to capture every thought. We have to be watchful and aware of what we are thinking. We must always be alert with our minds.
  • That means we first have to stop day dreaming. If we are in the habit of letting our minds wander, then we have to ask God to help us to focus.
  • Practically speaking, this is why scrolling through the internet and social media is so dangerous. It is mindless. It has no purpose. And so we allow anything to just come into our minds. We’re not alert. I think some of us need to delete our facebook accounts or Instagram accounts of tiktok or whatever makes you to spend so much time on social media with mindless scrolling.
  • We must capture every thought. We must process every thought. We must be aware all the time of what we are dwelling on.
  • This is what Psalms tells us about a godly person.
  • Psalms 1:2
    But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
  • A blessed man, a godly man, they delight in the law of the Lord and they meditate on it day and night.
  • That must be something that fills our hearts and minds more than the world, more than anything out there.
  • Some people say, well can I really read the Bible the whole day? Why not? Why not get to the point where God is your constand theme? He won’t lead you to sin. Better the Bible than anything out there on social media where there is so much evil and so many things to pull us away from Christ.
  • Hebrews 10:16
    This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.
  • God wants to write His law in our hearts and our minds.
  • When do you write things down? When you don’t want to forget something right.
  • God wants us to remember Him everywhere we go. He wants us to remember Him when we are scrolling on our phones. He wants us to remember Him when we are driving on the road. He wants us to remember Him in what we choose to read. In everything that we say and do, God wants to write His law in our hearts and minds.
  • And if we can have His law written in our minds, we will not hold anger or hatred in our hearts. We won’t lust after a woman in our hearts. Christ will be there to help us cast those thoughts away. To capture it, and throw it out of our minds!
  • We need to bring into captivity every single thought and hold it up with God’s great standard.
  • Now it’s not even us asking if God would do this. It’s one step before that. Does God want me to even think about this? Casting down every imagination, every thought, that goes against Christ and His high and holy character.
  • So we need His law, we need His word, in our hearts if we wish to have victory over these two struggles of our hearts. That’s Psalms 119:11.

However, Jesus also gives a solution how we can stop sinning with our hearts.

  • Matthew 5:29-30
    29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
  • If we want to have victory, then we should cut off our hands or pluck out our eyes.

Why our eyes and our hands?

  • We already read earlier in Matthew 6:22-23. Let’s review it again.
  • Matthew 6:22-23
    22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

    • It is our eyes that dictate to a great degree how our body will react.
    • It will either shed light into our hearts and minds or it will bring in darkness. By beholding we will become changed into that same image.
  • And how about our hands?
  • Psalms 26:10
    In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

    • Our hands are full of mischief.
  • Proverbs 6:17
    A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.

    • Our hands shed innocent blood.
  • It is our eyes and our hands that we need to be so careful about. What we look at and what our hands take hold of, it is this that leads us to sin.
  • And Jesus says, it’s better to pluck out our eyes or cut off our hands than to even be lead to sin.

But does Jesus really mean that? That we should pluck out our eyes or chop off our hands if we are sinning?

  • In regards to the sins of the heart, definitely not. Why? Because once the thought is there it can never be erased. So even if you pluck out your eyes, the thought is still there and you can still sin!
  • However, Jesus is dealing with something of the physical aspect. He’s telling us we need to make it inconvenient for ourselves to sin.
  • If we are indulging in pornography and can’t obtain victory over it, what should we do? There are actually many physical things that we can do.
  • Apart from what we studied already – to make sure that we are spending time in God’s word and prayer, there are other things we can do physically to help ourselves.
  • You can put your computer in a public place like in the living room and never bring it to your room privately. Yes it doesn’t always help, especially if you are living alone. Then maybe you should consider living with other people or even sharing a room with someone. Make it inconvenient. Pluck out your eye or chop off your hand!
  • You can tell someone about it so that they can help you to be accountable, to have a weekly meeting with them and talk about it and pray together.
  • You can even put a lock on your computer browser.
  • Or maybe you need to get to the point where you don’t even have wifi at home.
  • If you are home alone a lot, then make yourself to go out of the house to work and to study.
  • Do what you need to do, even if it is inconvenient!
  • But let’s have a look at some texts. What else does it mean to pluck out the eye or chop off the hand?
  • Romans 6:6
    Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
  • What happens to a body part after it is cut off? It dies.
  • Jesus is talking about spiritually killing that old man of sin.
  • How?
  • Romans 6:11-13
    11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
  • Instead of yielding ourselves to sin, we need to yield ourselves to God. We need to surrender our lives to Him each day and ask Him to come in and take control.
  • This is why our daily devotions become so important. For those that are addicted to sin, that are holding on to sin, our walk with Jesus every day is our life line. That’s how important it is! And the devil would do anything just to get you to miss it!
  • 1 Corinthians 15:31
    I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

    • Just like Paul, we need to die daily as well.
    • We need to have that daily experience with Christ. To die in him. To be crucified with Him each day.
  • Our eyes and our hands are such important body parts for us to function day to day. And yes, there are some things that we might need to cut out of our lives that are actually important.
  • Maybe it’s skipping dinner or lunch just so you can spend a bit more time with Jesus.
  • Or even just doing without some things in life like a laptop.
  • The world may not understand the extremity of your actions, but that’s OK, so long as God does and you know the reason why you are doing it.
  • Let us not be weary in well-doing.
  • Christ wants us to weigh up everything in the light of eternity, in the light heaven. He doesn’t want us to put the things of this earth over the things of heaven.
  • Mark 8:34-37
    34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. 36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
  • If we are to follow Jesus, there needs to be some self denial. There needs to be some self sacrifice.
  • And especially in dealing with the sins of the heart, there will need to be a sacrifice of maybe even some good things, some convenient things, some precious things.
  • What will we give in exchange for our souls? How important is eternal life to each of us?

All this talk of self-sacrifice can make a person to turn away from Christ right away. That’s how we feel sometimes. But what we don’t realise is that Christ wants us to be happy on this earth as well. It’s not that the road to having victory is all about doom and gloom and that we can’t be happy here on this earth. No, Christ wants us to be happy here and now.

  • When people commit the sins of the heart, they aren’t happy.
  • People aren’t happy when they are holding hatred in their hearts. It makes them bitter. It colours their whole life and makes them miserable.
  • We may think it is exhilarating when a person sleeps with a person who isn’t their wife, or they are lusting after them in their hearts. But the only thing that follows is self-hatred and guilt and shame.
  • There is no joy in any of this.
  • John 10:10
    The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
  • Christ says that He came so that we could have abundant life!
  • Not just in the future immortal life, but even in the present life that we are living right now on this earth.
  • He wants us to be happy. He wants us to have joy. We wants all the good things in life for us. He wants to bless us abundantly.

Lastly, Jesus deals with one more topic in Matthew 5.

  • Matthew 5:31-32
    31 — It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
  • The topic of divorce can be a tricky topic. Especially what Jesus says here.
  • There is only one legitimate reason for going through with divorce. That is fornication or adultery. Anything short of that is committing adultery.
  • What Christ is doing here is putting a really high calling to marriage. He is trying to elevate it so high that we don’t just go and consider divorce after having an argument.
  • Divorce should only be the last option, never the first or the second.
  • And also, no, you should not be getting a divorce because you are committing adultery in the heart. This is referring to actual, in-person, fornication.

Yes, Moses did allow divorce in the Old Testament. He made provision for it. But what was really the underlying issue?

  • Matthew 19:8
    He saith unto them, — Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
  • It was because of the hardness of our hearts. Once again, a heart issue. Divorce, it stems from the heart. The sins of the heart. This is what we have been studying about today.

But even though we are not married or do not lust after a woman in our heart, we can still be called adulterers according to the Bible. How?

  • James 4:4
    Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
  • If we are friends with the world, we are an enemy of God. That is spiritual adultery.

God doesn’t want just part of our heart, He wants our whole heart. He wants us to be fully His and His alone – just like in any normal relationship. We don’t want divided love. We want that person to be totally and fully in love with us and only us. Christ desires the same today as well.

Let us learn to surrender, to give Him our whole heart. To be willing to be fully His. Let us love Him with our whole heart, soul, strength and mind today and we will see that He is fairer than the lillies, He is sweeter than honey and more fine than any gold out there that the world can offer.

Let’s tell God, not only that we love Him, but that we desire for Him to come into our lives and make His abode with us today.

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