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We're continuing in Matthew 5 
today, so if you have your 

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Bible, please open to Matthew 
chapter 5. 

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As we come to the passage today,
we just remain in the middle of 

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the Sermon on the Mount. 
I will be in this for until we 

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break from Matthew for a little 
bit and do some songs will be in

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the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew
5 through 7. 

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But we will get through it. 
Lord will and before we break 

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for Psalms. 
So, but we're here in the heart 

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of it. 
Jesus is teaching us what life 

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and his Kingdom truly looks like
in the Sermon on the Mount 

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right. 
He's already told us that our 

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righteousness must exceed that 
of the scribes and Pharisees. 

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In other words, your 
righteousness must succeed. 

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The most righteous looking 
people you see around you, All 

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right? 
That's what he's telling his 

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audience. 
And so it really shook them to 

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hear this because they thought 
those were the most righteous 

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people around. 
But what he points to is that a 

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righteous, our righteousness is 
not merely what looks right on 

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the outside, right? 
It it's righteousness that is 

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true in the heart, right? 
It's righteousness that affects 

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us deep down. 
And now Jesus is going to press 

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that truth even deeper over the 
next few weeks. 

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And similar to last week, what 
he's doing this week is he takes

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a command that many would have 
felt very confident about, 

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right? 
Or some of those commands, you 

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read the 10 commandments and you
think, man, I might not be 

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guilty of that one, right? 
And this one, just on its 

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surface level, you might feel 
that way, right? 

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And the command that Jesus takes
today is you shall not commit 

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adultery. 
Upon hearing that, you may 

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think, well, I'm, I'm good, all 
right. 

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And what he does is he shows 
that God has always been 

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concerned more with with more 
than outward actions. 

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It's not just about the act of 
adultery, all right. 

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He's concerned with what we 
think. 

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He's concerned with what we 
desire. 

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He's concerned with what we 
love, right. 

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And so as we'll see, what what 
begins in the heart never stays 

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in the heart, right? 
It shapes our lives, it shapes 

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our relationships, and it even 
shapes our covenant commitments.

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Now, you can make all of those 
statements as a good statement 

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or a bad statement, right? 
What begins in the heart never 

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stays there if we're talking 
about good things, right? 

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Righteousness, holiness, purity,
truth, a love for what is good, 

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all right, that then that 
becomes a good thing. 

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We don't want that to just stay 
in our heart. 

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We want it to shape our lives. 
We want it to shape our 

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relationships and even shape our
covenant commitments that we 

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have, all right. 
But that can also be a very bad 

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thing, right? 
If, if what's in the heart is 

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ugly, if it's sinful, if it's 
prideful, if it's bad, we need 

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to understand it never stays in 
the heart. 

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It doesn't only affect us, it 
shapes our life, it shapes our 

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relationships, it affects our 
covenant commitments, right? 

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So true, good and bad, those are
true statements, right? 

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So I want you to listen 
carefully as we read the text in

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a moment because Jesus is going 
to expose the heart and he's 

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going to call us so a deeper, 
truer righteousness, right? 

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So if you're able to, would you 
please stand in honor of the 

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reading of God's holy word this 
morning. 

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I'm going to read Matthew 5. 
We're going to start verse 27 

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and go 332 today. 25 I'm sorry, 
five 27332 Jesus is speaking 

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here in the sermon of Mount. 
He says You have heard that it 

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it was said, you shall not 
commit adultery. 

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But I say to you that everyone 
who looks at a woman with 

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lustful intent has already 
committed adultery with her in 

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his heart. 
If your right eye causes you to 

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sin, tear it out and throw it 
away, for it is better that you 

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lose one of your members than 
your whole body be thrown into 

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hell. 
And if your right hand causes 

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you to sin, cut it off and throw
it away, for it is better that 

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you lose one of your members 
than that your whole body go 

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into hell. 
It was also said whoever 

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divorces his wife, let him give 
her a certificate of divorce. 

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But I say to you that everyone 
who divorces his wife except on 

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the ground of sexual immorality 
makes her commit adultery. 

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And whoever marries a divorced 
woman commits adultery. 

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This is the word of the Lord. 
Thanks be to God, Let's pray. 

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Heavenly Father, we thank you 
for your word. 

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By God, we thank you that one of
the things that's most important

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for us to understand about your 
word is that it's true, that 

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it's sufficient for all of life 
and godliness of God that 

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searches us. 
We might search it. 

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We might scour the Scriptures. 
We might read them diligently, 

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but in actuality, we're being 
read by them. 

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We're being searched. 
Or does the psalmist praise 

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that? 
Psalm 139? 

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Search me, O God? 
Or do you know our inward parts 

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because you formed them? 
You know our thoughts because 

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there's nothing hidden from your
sight. 

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You know our actions and our 
words and the intents of our 

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hearts because there's nothing, 
God, hidden from your sight. 

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There's nowhere that we can go 
wait. 

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We can't descend to the depths 
of the sea. 

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We can't ascend to the heights 
of the sky and somehow be out of

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your sight. 
And so, Father, your word 

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searches us today. 
And we ask, Lord, that you would

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search US. 
Lord, we humble ourselves before

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Your word, and we ask that you 
teach us today that you correct 

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us, that you train us for 
godliness. 

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Lord, use the sermon, use Your 
word today to form holiness, 

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godliness, to make true 
disciples today. 

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Would you do it in us? 
Would you do it through us? 

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Would you do it among us? 
By the power of your spirits? 

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It's in the name of Christ, I 
pray. 

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Amen. 
Amen. 

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You may be seated. 
Well, as I stated a moment ago, 

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there are certain sins that 
people feel very confident that 

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they have avoided right. 
We can sometimes be like the 

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rich young ruler who comes to 
Christ and you know, Christ 

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tells he's asking what must I do
to be your disciple? 

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As you know, he says follow all 
of the law and the rich young 

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verses. 
I've done it all and he tells 

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him we'll go and sell all your 
possessions and follow me. 

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Sometimes we can think as we 
look at these things that we've 

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we've done those things right. 
We're we're good with God. 

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We have a clear conscience in 
this area. 

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And so if you were to ask the 
average person, or just ask a 

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person, have you ever committed 
adultery, most of them would 

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quickly say no, right? 
And, and with that answer, there

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comes this quiet sense of 
relief, even a sense of 

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righteousness, right? 
But Jesus will not let us rest 

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on a simple no answer to this 
question. 

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Because what if the standard is 
not merely what you have done, 

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but what you have desired? 
And that's the standard that 

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Christ lays out. 
What if sin is not only measured

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by your actions, but it's also 
measured at the heart level? 

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All right, the things you 
desire. 

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What if you can outwardly clean 
yourself up, but inwardly be 

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guilty before God? 
Well, that's exactly what Jesus 

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confronts in this passage, 
right? 

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He, he, he. 
But he doesn't stop at revealing

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the heart. 
He shows us also where unchecked

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sin can lead, right? 
What? 

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What starts as lust within 
eventually causes destruction in

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life, even breaking covenant 
relationships. 

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So So here's the main point of 
our passage this morning. 

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Kingdom righteousness demands 
covenant faithfulness from the 

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hearts, and it warns us that 
unchecked lust leads to 

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devastating relational sin. 
Kingdom righteousness demands 

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covenant faithfulness from the 
heart and warns that unchecked 

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lust leads to devastating 
relational sin. 

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Now we will see this unfold in 
three ways. 

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First, we're going to see God's 
law demands purity of hearts, 

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not just external obedience. 
Second, we'll see that God's 

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grace demands war against sin, a
radical war against sin. 

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We cannot tolerate what God 
condemns. 

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Third, God's design demands 
covenant faithfulness, because 

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what is tolerated in the heart 
will eventually break 

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relationships. 
So let's walk through this 

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together. 
Number one, God's law demands 

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purity of heart. 
Look at verses 27 and 28 again. 

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You have heard that it was said 
you shall not commit adultery. 

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But I say to you that everyone 
who looks at a woman with 

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lustful intent has already 
committed adultery with her in 

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his heart. 
Now Jesus begins where his 

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listeners are most comfortable, 
with a command that they believe

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they have kept. 
So you shall not commit 

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adultery. 
Now the command is clear. 

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The command seems to be 
external, the command is 

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measurable. 
And like the Pharisees, many 

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would have heard that command 
and thought, well, I've obeyed 

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this one, I'm clean, all right. 
But the Jesus does what he's 

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been doing throughout the 
section. 

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He exposes the true depth of 
God's law. 

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And so he goes on. 
But I say to you that everyone 

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who looks at a woman with 
lustful intent, so you might, if

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you write in your Bible, you may
write, you may underline that 

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everyone who looks at a woman 
with lustful intent has already 

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committed adultery with her in 
his heart. 

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In other words, the command was 
never merely about the ACT. 

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It was always about the heart. 
It was always about what is the 

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heart dwelling on? 
What does the heart worship? 

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What does it praise right? 
What does it desire? 

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And so that little phrase there 
with lustful intent informs the 

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whole thing. 
It points to something 

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deliberate. 
All right. 

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I can't hear the word deliberate
without thinking of a great 

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theologian and dear friend, Mike
Bradshaw. 

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Mike often says he did it 
deliberate. 

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All right. 
Well, that's what we're talking 

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about here. 
He, the, the man who gazes at a 

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woman with lustful intent did it
deliberate? 

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All right? 
He, he did it deliberately. 

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This is not the passing 
recognition of beauty, right? 

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This is not the unavoidable 
moment of temptation. 

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This is the intentional gaze. 
This is the cultivated desire in

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the heart. 
It's the dwelling on. 

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It's the thinking on. 
It's the choice to entertain and

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pursue sin with the mind, right?
It's a choice. 

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And Jesus says plainly that is 
adultery. 

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Not metaphorically, not lightly.
This is not something, brothers 

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or sisters, we want to excuse. 
He's saying that is adultery 

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actually before God, guilty of 
adultery in the heart. 

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Now, this is consistent with the
whole testimony of Scripture. 

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This is not some random thought 
that Christ has uttered, as if 

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we thought Christ uttered 
anything randomly right now. 

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He speaks with authority. 
He speaks only that which is 

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true. 
Exodus 2017. 

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The command not to covet there 
presses into desire. 

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Paul will later reveal that that
command not to covet and 

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oppressing into desire is what 
helped him see that he was 

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guilty as a coveter before God. 
Right. 

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Mark 721 through 23. 
We see there that sin flows from

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within. 
It's what comes out of us. 

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It's coming from the heart. 
James 114 through 15, we see 

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that the inward desires that we 
have, those sinful desires that 

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we carry, those selfish desires 
that we hang on to, that those 

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things give birth to sin. 
All right, So everything begins 

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inwardly. 
It begins with lust of the 

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heart, our desires of the heart.
So the problem is not merely 

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what we do, right? 
The actions themselves can be, 

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are often sinful. 
But we got to understand that if

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we want to change our actions, 
right, we want to become a 

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different kind of person, then 
we must have our inward desires 

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transformed, right? 
We must be transformed from 

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within. 
So it's not merely about what we

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do. 
It's a matter of what. 

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What do we want, right? 
What are we desiring? 

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Martin Lee Jones writes this. 
He said our Lord is not 

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concerned about actions only. 
He's concerned about the heart. 

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It is the heart that matters. 
The heart is the seat of sin. 

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That's the seat of sin. 
But this verse also presses one 

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step further. 
Now the language here can carry 

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the idea not only of looking in 
order to lust right, but the 

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00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:43,680
language also suggests that Eve 
suggests even looking in a way 

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that stirs lust right. 
And so the broader teaching of 

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Scripture confirms this as well.
Sexual sin is not only committed

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by indulging lust, but can also 
be encouraged by provoking it in

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others. 
Right. 

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So we see this principle 
elsewhere. 

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Romans 1314 make no provision 
for the flesh. 

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First Timothy 29 encourages 
women to be modest and self 

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controlled in their dress. 
So the command reaches both 

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00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:27,920
directions, right On one hand, 
we must not entertain lust, must

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not entertain it. 
We must seek to destroy it, 

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which we'll talk about soon. 
And on the other hand, we must 

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00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:42,680
not encourage lust. 
All right. 

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So this is where modesty and 
conduct come into view. 

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00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,560
And I don't mean this in a 
legalistic sense at all. 

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I mean it as a love for 
neighbor, like a man and a woman

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00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:57,880
should have a desire to love 
their neighbor and to be holy 

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before God all. 
Right. 

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00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,280
One commentary insightfully 
noted this It isn't sinful. 

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00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:11,560
It is sinful not only to indulge
lustful thoughts, but also to 

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act or present oneself in a way 
that invites lustful thoughts. 

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00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,080
All right, this applies to all 
of us then. 

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00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,720
But it is especially important 
in our culture today to stay 

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00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:28,640
clearly and thoughtfully what 
the Scripture says. 

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00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,400
Women are called to adorn 
themselves in a way that 

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00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,320
reflects godliness, not 
sensuality. 

253
00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,480
Women are called to present 
themselves in a way that 

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00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:45,720
reflects a high character before
God, and not a desire to draw 

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attention to the way God created
them. 

256
00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,560
So I'll read the broader passage
in First Timothy 28 through 10 

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where Paul writes. 
I desire then that in every 

258
00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:01,960
place that women should adorn 
themselves in respectable 

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00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:07,760
apparel with modesty and 
self-control, with what is 

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00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:12,319
proper for women who profess 
godliness with good works. 

261
00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,960
So we have a command here on 
both ends of the spectrum, those

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00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:23,000
who have lustful intents of the 
heart, and those have an intent 

263
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:28,040
to draw an intent in the heart, 
to draw lust towards themselves.

264
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,960
Men are called, I don't want to.
Men are called to take full 

265
00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,480
responsibility for their own 
hearts, all right? 

266
00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:44,200
They're never to shift blame. 
They're never to excuse sin. 

267
00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:50,240
All right, We, we ought to be 
like Job, who made a covenant 

268
00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:52,800
with the Lord. 
He, he said I've made a covenant

269
00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,920
with my eyes to not look on a 
woman with lust. 

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00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:04,800
Paul encourages a young Timothy,
who's a minister in Ephesus, to 

271
00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:09,000
treat other older women with 
respect and to regard younger 

272
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,960
women as his sisters in Christ. 
But that's saying something 

273
00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:17,400
about how a man ought to relate 
to other women who are not his 

274
00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,240
wife and who are sisters in the 
Lord. 

275
00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,600
So the point is not blame, 
right? 

276
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,160
The point is not to start 
pointing blame at all these 

277
00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,200
different people. 
No, the the point is holiness in

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00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:34,640
every direction, a concern for 
holiness and godliness from both

279
00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:36,760
the man of God and the woman of 
God. 

280
00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:40,840
Because God's law demands 
purity. 

281
00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:42,680
It demands purity in what we 
think. 

282
00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:44,120
It demands purity in how we 
look. 

283
00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:47,640
It demands purity even in how we
present ourselves to others. 

284
00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:55,240
You may think of a fire, right? 
A fire needs fuel to keep 

285
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:59,680
burning. 
If you keep feeding it logs and 

286
00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,880
paper and kindling, well, the 
fire just grows stronger and 

287
00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:07,520
hotter. 
Well, lust works the same way. 

288
00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:12,560
When the heart feeds on certain 
images or thoughts or desires, 

289
00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:17,280
lust grows. 
And when a culture or a person 

290
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,160
constantly adds fuel through 
what is worn, what is watched, 

291
00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:25,040
what is celebrated, then it 
becomes a wildfire. 

292
00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:28,240
Proverbs is wise. 
It warns This. 

293
00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:33,400
It says can a man carry fire 
next to his chest and not be 

294
00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:37,080
burned? 
Brothers, how many of us walk 

295
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:45,760
around like this? 
Jesus is saying the problem 

296
00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:51,440
isn't just the flame, you see, 
it's the fuel you're feeding and

297
00:19:51,440 --> 00:19:54,560
even the fuel that you might be 
providing for someone else. 

298
00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:57,720
So. 
So we need to honestly examine 

299
00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:00,400
ourselves. 
Am I allowing lust to take root 

300
00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,280
in my heart? 
Am I keeping it there as a pet? 

301
00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,760
All right. 
Do I enjoy it just enough that I

302
00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:10,000
won't be radical about slaying 
it? 

303
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:12,280
Am I feeding it through what I 
watch? 

304
00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:15,160
Am I feeding it through what I 
dwell on in my mind or what I 

305
00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:19,960
pursue? 
Am I presenting myself in a way 

306
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:25,880
that promotes purity, or am I 
presenting myself in a way that 

307
00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:28,200
might stir temptation in someone
else? 

308
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:34,200
Now this isn't about shame. 
Again, this is about the pursuit

309
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:39,040
of holiness. 
We want to be good disciples of 

310
00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:41,800
our Lord Jesus Christ. 
We want to live a life that 

311
00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:45,760
walks and in a way that we show 
that we're worthy of the gospel 

312
00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:49,240
that we've received. 
We want to be holy as God is 

313
00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,960
holy. 
Jesus said blessed are the pure 

314
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,280
in heart, for they shall see 
God. 

315
00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,360
You have to understand God cares
not only about what is visible 

316
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:05,160
to others, but also cares about 
the condition of the heart. 

317
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:10,240
He cares about the influence of 
our lives and his standard is 

318
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,440
nothing less than purity in 
those things. 

319
00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:20,480
So once Jesus exposes the depth 
of the problem, the heart, he 

320
00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:22,920
doesn't leave us wondering what 
to do next, does he? 

321
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,400
If sin is this serious, if it 
reaches this deep to within me, 

322
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:30,960
then it cannot be treated 
lightly. 

323
00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:34,760
It must be dealt with 
decisively. 

324
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:38,200
Which leads us to the second 
truth that we encounter in the 

325
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:42,200
passage today. 
God's grace demands war against 

326
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:48,080
sin. 
God's grace demands war against 

327
00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:50,040
sin. 
Look at 29 and 30 again. 

328
00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:55,720
If your right eye causes you to 
sin, tear it out and throw it 

329
00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,320
away. 
For it is better that you lose 

330
00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,680
one of your members than your 
whole body be thrown into hell. 

331
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,760
And if your right hand causes 
you to sin, cut it off and throw

332
00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,840
it away, for it is better that 
you lose one of your members 

333
00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:13,480
than your whole body to go into 
hell, or than your whole body go

334
00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:18,520
into hell. 
So after exposing the heart, 

335
00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:22,480
Jesus now presses the response 
right and his language is 

336
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,040
intentionally shocking. 
If your right eye causes you to 

337
00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:26,960
sin, tear it out. 
If your right hand causes you to

338
00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:34,640
sin, cut it off. 
Now I do want you to know before

339
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:38,240
you take out your knives 
brothers, Jesus is not 

340
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:45,200
commanding self mutilation here.
Scripture never calls us to harm

341
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:49,960
the body in that way. 
The issue is not the hot, the 

342
00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,360
eye, or the hand themselves. 
It's the sin and the heart that 

343
00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:58,880
uses those things right? 
Romans 6 again. 

344
00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:03,600
When we've been buried with 
Christ and baptism, we are then 

345
00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,240
raised to walk. 
We've experienced a death like 

346
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:08,560
His and now we're raised to walk
in a life like His. 

347
00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,080
It says that we're raised to 
walk in newness of life. 

348
00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,320
And one of the encouragements 
there that the whole point of 

349
00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:18,160
the passage is, do we go on 
sinning so that grace may 

350
00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:20,000
abound? 
And he says by no means right. 

351
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,040
You've been buried with Christ. 
You've been raised to walk in 

352
00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,000
the newness of life. 
Therefore walk by the Spirit of 

353
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,200
God. 
Do not present your members 

354
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:29,080
right. 
Same word that Christ uses here 

355
00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:33,160
upset your hands and your eyes, 
your feet, your tongue. 

356
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:38,240
Do not present your members for 
the sake of unrighteousness or 

357
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,520
for the cause of unrighteousness
any longer. 

358
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:45,280
Present your members to God for 
the cause or for the sake of 

359
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:50,200
righteousness, right? 
Paul, the later in Romans 12/1 

360
00:23:51,440 --> 00:24:00,560
encourage us to, to, to, to 
bring a sacrifice of praise to 

361
00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,760
God, right? 
He says to present your bodies a

362
00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:09,600
living sacrifice to God and to 
be transformed in the renewing 

363
00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:14,320
of your mind by the spirits, so 
that you might come to know what

364
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:19,080
is the acceptable, pleasing, 
good, perfect will of God. 

365
00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,160
That's we need to be 
transformed. 

366
00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:30,560
So Jesus is using severe imagery
to communicate a deep spiritual 

367
00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:34,600
reality. 
Sin is so dangerous, it's so 

368
00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,040
destructive. 
He uses the word hell here. 

369
00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,280
So we might say it's so damning 
that it must be dealt with 

370
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:46,840
radically. 
The phrase here, if your right 

371
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:53,440
eye or your right hand causes 
you to sin, that phrase carries 

372
00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,760
the idea of something that trips
you up right? 

373
00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:00,640
It ensnares you. 
It leads you into ruin. 

374
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,960
If those things are leading you 
into ruin, cut them off. 

375
00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:12,240
Jesus says whatever that is, 
what's your hand or your eye? 

376
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,760
Remove it, right Meant don't 
manage it. 

377
00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,040
Don't tolerate it. 
Don't keep it at a safe distance

378
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:21,440
thinking, oh, I've got this 
under control. 

379
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,800
If I can just keep it that far 
away. 

380
00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:28,320
Oh, that's, that's, that's a 
fool's errand. 

381
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:35,080
He says remove it, cut it off. 
Why He answers that for it is 

382
00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:39,040
better that you lose one of your
members, then your whole body be

383
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:42,520
thrown into hell. 
Brothers and sisters, do you 

384
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,680
recognize what Christ is saying 
here? 

385
00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:51,760
He's saying if we go on sinning 
and we are not vigilance, we are

386
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,920
not seeking to put to death the 
deeds of the flesh by the Spirit

387
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:56,440
of God. 
That's alive in US. 

388
00:25:56,440 --> 00:26:02,680
Romans 813 Then we are in danger
of hell. 

389
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:07,840
And so he's saying, cut those 
things off. 

390
00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,840
It's better that you lose one of
your members than your whole 

391
00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:19,080
body be thrown into hell. 
We ought to make this verse a 

392
00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:22,960
point of meditation real 
briefly. 

393
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:25,040
When we talk about meditation, 
we're not talking about the kind

394
00:26:25,040 --> 00:26:28,240
of meditation where you just 
empty your mind of all thoughts.

395
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,800
That's worldly meditation. 
And when we talk about 

396
00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:35,240
meditation Scripture, we're 
talking about filling our minds 

397
00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:38,400
with the upward thoughts of God,
the upward call, the upward 

398
00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:41,560
commands, the upper doctrines of
God. 

399
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:43,600
Fill your minds with those 
things. 

400
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,760
That's how you'll receive 
transformation of heart. 

401
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:49,120
That's to be renewed in the 
mind. 

402
00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:54,080
Right. 
Here Jesus brings eternity into 

403
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,120
view when he talks about your 
final destiny. 

404
00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,120
He's saying this isn't about the
struggle. 

405
00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:03,520
It's not merely about the 
struggle that you find yourself 

406
00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,640
in. 
It's about where are you headed 

407
00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:11,200
for eternity? 
The one who continually indulges

408
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:17,120
sin without repentance reveals a
heart that is not submitted to 

409
00:27:17,120 --> 00:27:23,280
God. 
Just plain and simple, the the 

410
00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:28,040
Puritan, John Owen, famously, 
it's on all kinds of bookmarks 

411
00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:30,480
and mugs and you can do it on 
your backgrounds, for your 

412
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:32,240
phones and computers. 
You can get T-shirts. 

413
00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:37,040
He famously said, be killing sin
or sin will be killing you. 

414
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:43,640
So true. 
So true. 

415
00:27:45,160 --> 00:27:49,040
And Lloyd Jones echoes the same 
urgency when he writes we are 

416
00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:53,360
not meant to control sin. 
We are meant to destroy sin. 

417
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,360
How many of us, I'm guilty of 
this, how many of us just want 

418
00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:02,040
to try to control and manage the
sin that's in our lives? 

419
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:04,720
I just need to get it under 
control. 

420
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:11,520
No, I need to take a sword to 
that thing and destroy it, He 

421
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:13,080
goes on. 
He says there must be no 

422
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:25,000
compromise, no quarter, no truce
with sin of this is what true 

423
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:29,960
grace produces. 
Grace does not make peace with 

424
00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:34,920
sin, right? 
We've received grace because 

425
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,520
Christ did not try to make peace
with sin. 

426
00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:41,800
He destroyed sin in the death of
His own flesh. 

427
00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:48,280
He incurred the wrath of God for
our sin on Himself, so that 

428
00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:52,000
death might be destroyed, so 
that the power of sin might be 

429
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:58,160
broken. 
Right Grace then trains us. 

430
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,120
As we receive grace, we're being
trained, as Titus 2 says, to 

431
00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,320
renounce ungodliness and worldly
passions. 

432
00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,400
This is the fruit of a new life 
in Christ. 

433
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:12,000
That's what's being described 
here. 

434
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:17,840
If lust is a hard issue, then 
the fight must be the fight must

435
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:19,400
be right. 
We can just stop the sentence 

436
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,920
there. 
We must be fighting, but it must

437
00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:28,080
be intentional, it must be 
aggressive, it must be ongoing. 

438
00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:32,760
We don't stop fighting sin. 
We get stronger in the way that 

439
00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:37,000
we fight sin. 
We we double down and fight and 

440
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,040
fight and we have all the tools 
at our disposal. 

441
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:42,880
We have the grace of the Lord 
Jesus. 

442
00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,920
We have the mercy of Christ. 
We have the power of the Spirit 

443
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,040
which raised Christ from the 
dead alive in us. 

444
00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,600
We've been raised to new life. 
We've been given new desires to 

445
00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:54,960
serve the Lord to put the old 
man to death. 

446
00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,840
So you see, Christ is not 
commanding you to do something 

447
00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:02,720
here that He's all not also in 
the same breath equipping you by

448
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:04,360
the power of the Spirit to 
accomplish. 

449
00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,040
So when I say you must fight, 
I'm not saying you're fighting 

450
00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:11,880
alone. 
You're fighting with the God of 

451
00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:16,000
heaven and earth on your side. 
You're fighting with the God of 

452
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:25,680
heaven and earth alive in you. 
Do you understand then how we 

453
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,520
are able to actually defeat our 
sins? 

454
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,600
We would not say that Christ did
not defeat sin. 

455
00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:40,320
We wouldn't say that Christ was 
able, not able, sorry, to 

456
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:43,200
overcome every temptation and to
be without sin. 

457
00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:45,880
No, the scriptures tell us 
otherwise. 

458
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,080
The same Christ that did those 
things is alive in you by the 

459
00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:59,240
Spirit. 
Now the issue is we have a flesh

460
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:05,920
that desires to go on sinning. 
We have inward desires, selfish 

461
00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:11,680
motives if we're honest, and I'm
not sure that we can be 

462
00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:16,480
sometimes, but if we're honest, 
we enjoy indulging the flesh. 

463
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,120
We enjoy giving ourselves to 
these things. 

464
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:33,040
I want you to understand when 
Christ issues a command and He 

465
00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:39,760
says not to do something, He's 
protecting you from fleeting 

466
00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:45,600
moments of pleasure that result 
in guilt before God, and He's 

467
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:51,400
empowering you to eternal 
moments of pleasure, long 

468
00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:56,280
standing moments of pleasure 
that results in pleasing God. 

469
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:03,600
You see, sexual desire is not a 
sin. 

470
00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:09,440
Sexual desire placed on things 
that God forbids is a sin. 

471
00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,760
It's good and right for a 
husband to desire his wife. 

472
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,360
It's good and right right for a 
wife to desire her husband. 

473
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:24,160
Those things are not sinful, so 
we must be intentional and 

474
00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:26,440
aggressive. 
We must fight in an ongoing 

475
00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:30,560
manner because sin that's left 
unchecked does not weaken. 

476
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:36,080
We like to think it'll weaken. 
No, it doesn't weaken, it grows.

477
00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:41,400
Imagine with me for a moment. 
You know, a man who's been 

478
00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:45,160
diagnosed with a life 
threatening disease in his arm. 

479
00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:50,960
The doctor tells him very 
plainly, if we do not remove 

480
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:55,160
this arm, that disease is going 
to spread and it will kill you. 

481
00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:01,600
Now imagine that man responding.
Well, I understand doctor, but I

482
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:03,200
don't want to be too extreme 
here. 

483
00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,120
But let's just monitor it for a 
while. 

484
00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:12,440
But let's manage it well. 
Let's keep an eye on it. 

485
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,720
Well, you and I would say 
rightfully, I think that's 

486
00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:21,000
insanity. 
Don't, don't do that. 

487
00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:26,040
Have it removed, right, But 
because the danger is too great 

488
00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:31,280
to tolerate halfway measures. 
Well, that's exactly how Jesus 

489
00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:36,480
is speaking about sin. 
Sin is not a minor irritation. 

490
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,480
It is not something to be 
trimmed back occasionally. 

491
00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,520
It is a deadly infection of the 
soul. 

492
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:46,880
And the only wise response is 
decisive action. 

493
00:33:49,160 --> 00:33:52,480
So we must ask ourselves 
plainly, what in my life is 

494
00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:58,200
feeding my sin? 
How am I keeping that thing fed?

495
00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,040
How is it that I water it each 
day? 

496
00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,520
What am I tolerating that God 
calls me to remove from my life?

497
00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:13,560
Where have I grown comfortable 
instead of serious about this? 

498
00:34:17,040 --> 00:34:20,719
For a lot of us, this does mean 
things that often sound very 

499
00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,360
legalistic. 
But they're not. 

500
00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:25,760
Again, it's about the pursuit of
holiness in your life, right? 

501
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:31,120
You might need to change what 
you watch, what you indulge in. 

502
00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:37,360
You might need to remove access 
to certain devices or apps from 

503
00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:40,239
yourself. 
You may need to establish 

504
00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:44,760
accountability in like a very 
real tangible way, not just 

505
00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:47,440
simply saying, hey brother, I 
kind of wrestled with this, 

506
00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:52,120
could you pray for me? 
You might need to think about 

507
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:59,400
restructuring your patterns and 
your habits of life, but not 

508
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,920
because these things save you. 
You're not saved by outward 

509
00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:09,720
works, but they do help you 
fight what would seek to destroy

510
00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:13,640
you. 
That we, we cannot claim to hate

511
00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:17,480
sin while continuing to make 
provisions for it in our life. 

512
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:24,200
That's an oxymoron. 
And this extends especially to 

513
00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:26,960
parents, right? 
Let's let me just offer a brief 

514
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:32,600
pastoral word to parents. 
God has given parents the 

515
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:34,840
responsibility. 
We just talked about it earlier 

516
00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:37,480
in child dedications. 
And praise God for the greatest 

517
00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:39,920
church growth metric ever, 
right? 

518
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,200
Babies being born. 
Keep up the good work, brothers 

519
00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:45,680
and sisters. 
God has given parents the 

520
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,440
responsibility not just to 
provide for their children, to 

521
00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:51,880
make sure they have food and 
clothing and shelter. 

522
00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:55,400
No, He's given you the 
responsibility for something far

523
00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:57,320
deeper. 
You're called to shepherd the 

524
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:01,320
hearts and guard their purity 
honestly, that's why we give 

525
00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:04,200
away the two resources we do. 
We give away a storybook Bible 

526
00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:07,000
and then we give away Ted 
Shripps Shepherding Your Child's

527
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:08,520
heart. 
It's the greatest children's 

528
00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:12,920
book on parenting ever written 
in my humble estimation. 

529
00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:18,120
You're called to shepherd their 
hearts regard to guard their 

530
00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,000
purity. 
Scripture calls us to raise our 

531
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,600
children in the with the 
discipline and instruction of 

532
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:26,640
the Lord, Ephesians 64 which 
means we cannot take a passive 

533
00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:29,880
approach to what is shaping them
right. 

534
00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,000
We must ask what are they 
watching? 

535
00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:36,320
What are they scrolling? 
What what is the cycling their 

536
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:39,520
desires? 
Who, who are they interacting 

537
00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:42,120
with? 
Because if we're not 

538
00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:47,240
intentional, then the world will
gladly step in and do that work 

539
00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:49,160
for you. 
You have to understand that. 

540
00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:55,320
So, so we must let Scripture, 
not the culture, set the 

541
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:59,560
standard for what is acceptable 
in our homes. 

542
00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:03,840
We don't go by what is popular. 
We don't go by what everyone 

543
00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:07,600
else is doing. 
All right. 

544
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:09,320
Have you heard it before? 
As a parent? 

545
00:37:09,800 --> 00:37:13,120
Oh, mom, oh, dad, everybody else
gets to do this. 

546
00:37:14,720 --> 00:37:18,400
You just offer a polite So what?
We're not everybody else. 

547
00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:22,720
Here's the standard of our home.
You know, this is the standard 

548
00:37:22,720 --> 00:37:24,440
of our home. 
And here's the things we're 

549
00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:26,320
going to do to abide by those 
standards. 

550
00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:28,840
Doesn't make everyone else evil.
That's not what we're teaching 

551
00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:31,320
our kids. 
It just means. 

552
00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:35,760
We're after a different. 
Pursuit in our home, all right. 

553
00:37:37,720 --> 00:37:39,840
We want what promotes. 
Purity. 

554
00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:44,520
We want those things that 
promote holiness and a right 

555
00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:49,000
view of God's design. 
Right loving our children's 

556
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,480
mean. 
Loving our children means not 

557
00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:56,800
giving them freedom. 
At times, but it also. 

558
00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:59,240
Means protecting them from what 
would harm their souls. 

559
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,280
But parents, you have to hear 
this part as well. 

560
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:13,200
You cannot lead where you don't 
go, and you cannot teach what 

561
00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:17,640
you don't know. 
The pursuit of purity, the 

562
00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:21,360
pursuit of holiness has to start
in your heart. 

563
00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:27,720
If we want to be of any real 
help. 

564
00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:30,840
To our children and their 
pursuit of holiness. 

565
00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:34,880
And here's why it matters so 
much. 

566
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:38,160
Because if sin. 
Is not dealt with at the level. 

567
00:38:38,160 --> 00:38:41,320
Of the heart, if it's not fought
with seriousness and urgency, it

568
00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:46,280
will not remain hidden. 
Christ says what's done in 

569
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:48,320
secret will be. 
Shouted from the rooftops. 

570
00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:51,920
Right, it will eventually 
surface in. 

571
00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:56,720
Life, and often in ways that 
cause serious, lasting damage. 

572
00:38:57,720 --> 00:38:59,600
Which leads us to the. 3rd Truth
God. 

573
00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:02,640
'S design demands covenant 
faithfulness. 

574
00:39:04,560 --> 00:39:08,440
Look at verses 31 and 32. 
It was also. 

575
00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,800
Said whoever divorces. 
His wife let him get her, give 

576
00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:15,960
her a certificate of divorce. 
But I say to you that. 

577
00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:18,080
Everyone who divorces. 
His wife, except on the ground 

578
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:21,120
of sexual immorality, makes her 
commit adultery. 

579
00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:25,240
And whoever marries a divorced 
woman commits adultery. 

580
00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:28,960
So. 
Jesus now moves from the root. 

581
00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:35,680
Of sin which was in the heart to
the fruit of sin in life, right 

582
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:37,280
it was also. 
Said whoever divorces his. 

583
00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:40,480
Wife let him give her a 
certificate of divorce. 

584
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:44,320
Now that comes from Deuteronomy 
chapter 24 verse one where Moses

585
00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:50,640
is regulating divorce in Israel.
That verse. 

586
00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:53,600
That. 
Regulation was never meant to 

587
00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:57,120
encourage divorce. 
It was actually meant to 

588
00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:01,080
restrain divorce. 
It was meant to protect the 

589
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:06,320
vulnerable, especially women, 
from being cast aside without 

590
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:10,720
provision or dignity. 
But by. 

591
00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:13,600
Jesus Day, the scribes. 
And the Pharisees had twisted 

592
00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:17,760
this concession into a 
justification, right? 

593
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:21,080
As long as you gave the 
certificate, as long as you 

594
00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:25,120
follow the procedure, you could 
dissolve a marriage for almost 

595
00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:29,760
any reason. 
And so we have the first sign of

596
00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:31,320
no. 
Fault divorces in Scripture. 

597
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:38,120
So once again they reduced. 
Righteousness to external 

598
00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:41,560
compliance. 
Obey the letter of the law and 

599
00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:44,320
you're good to go. 
And. 

600
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:46,440
Jesus says. 
No. 

601
00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:52,040
No, he says. 
But I say to you that everyone. 

602
00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:55,600
Who divorces his wife except on 
the ground of sexual immorality,

603
00:40:56,440 --> 00:40:59,720
makes her commit adultery in 
other. 

604
00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:03,640
Words you can obey. 
The letter of the law and still 

605
00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:06,520
violate the heart of the law, 
right? 

606
00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:09,320
God's design for marriage has 
always been clear. 

607
00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:15,480
Genesis 224 One man, one woman, 
1 flesh for life. 

608
00:41:17,920 --> 00:41:21,560
Divorce is not. 
Part of the design for marriage,

609
00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:24,760
it's a. 
Concession because of. 

610
00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:29,520
Sin Matthew 19/8, which we'll 
get to and I don't know when. 

611
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:34,640
All right, we'll get there. 
But Jesus does give an 

612
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:38,040
exception. 
Except for sexual immorality. 

613
00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:41,800
Now the word sexual immorality 
is the word porneia. 

614
00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:45,960
You might recognize the root 
word there and pronea just. 

615
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:48,520
Describes all. 
Kinds of sexual immorality. 

616
00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:52,800
But adultery is like the 
highest. 

617
00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:59,360
The the highest level of sexual 
immorality because sexual 

618
00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:03,760
unfaithfulness breaks the 
covenant itself, but. 

619
00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:09,800
But apart from that. 
To pursue divorce casually is to

620
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:14,560
participate in covenant breaking
and even to lead others into 

621
00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:17,520
further sin, one commentary 
noted. 

622
00:42:17,520 --> 00:42:20,760
This unjust divorce does not 
stay isolated. 

623
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:24,560
It multiplies sin. 
It leads to further adultery. 

624
00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:27,880
It destabilizes lives. 
It spreads relational 

625
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:33,360
destruction. 
And so here's the connection 

626
00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:36,000
that you don't want to. 
Miss right, adultery in the 

627
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:42,680
heart. 
Often becomes adultery in life. 

628
00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:47,120
And it ultimately leads to 
broken covenants. 

629
00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:54,160
Ryan the girl is the author of 
How Can I Overcome Lust? 

630
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:59,000
A great little resource and he. 
Offered this insight in that. 

631
00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:02,560
Book he says pursuing godliness 
in this area cannot be 

632
00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:07,160
reconciled with permitting lust 
to fester in the hearts any more

633
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:12,840
than it can be reconciled with 
pursuing unlawful divorce right 

634
00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:18,880
the two belong together lust is 
not a private sin no matter what

635
00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:24,240
we might convince ourselves all.
Right. 

636
00:43:24,240 --> 00:43:26,080
I've talked to many brothers 
I've experienced. 

637
00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,480
This myself. 
You know, in seasons of just 

638
00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:32,440
untethered lust, you, you grow 
aggressive, you get angry. 

639
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:33,520
Why? 
Because you're dealing with 

640
00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:35,600
guilt and shame and everything 
else. 

641
00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:38,160
So what are you doing then? 
You're lashing out at your wife 

642
00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:40,920
or your children, right? 
You're hard to get along with at

643
00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:43,720
work, right? 
It leads to other sins as well. 

644
00:43:43,720 --> 00:43:47,520
It damages relationships. 
Lust is not a private sin, 

645
00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:49,560
right? 
It's the beginning of a path 

646
00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:54,160
that, if left unchecked, leads 
to real damage in real 

647
00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:58,200
relationships. 
Lloyd Jones says you cannot 

648
00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:01,480
separate. 
These things, the thought, leads

649
00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:07,360
to the act and the ACT leads to 
the consequences, and Jesus is 

650
00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:10,080
showing us that progression here
very clearly. 

651
00:44:12,520 --> 00:44:14,400
Now we need to understand 
exactly what he means when. 

652
00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:17,080
He says everyone who divorces 
his wife except on the ground of

653
00:44:17,080 --> 00:44:19,640
sexual immorality makes her 
commit adultery. 

654
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:23,120
One thing I want to know is 
Jesus is not. 

655
00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:27,080
Providing A comprehensive 
teaching on every situation 

656
00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:29,960
involving divorce and remarriage
in just one sentence. 

657
00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:34,120
Scripture discusses this more 
broadly in passages like Matthew

658
00:44:34,120 --> 00:44:38,120
19 and 1st Corinthians 7, but 
here. 

659
00:44:38,120 --> 00:44:40,880
Jesus is addressing. 
Something very specific. 

660
00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:46,120
In his time, men were casually 
and selfishly divorcing, 

661
00:44:46,200 --> 00:44:48,960
divorcing their wives for almost
any reason. 

662
00:44:50,680 --> 00:44:51,600
Now in. 
Our day. 

663
00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:56,640
We've upped the ante. 
Men and women are casually 

664
00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:59,680
divorcing their spouse for any 
reason. 

665
00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:03,720
And as long as they follow the 
legal. 

666
00:45:03,720 --> 00:45:09,680
Process just by providing the 
certificate they believed. 

667
00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:11,840
Genuinely, that they. 
Were acting righteously. 

668
00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:15,320
That was what was being taught. 
But you have to. 

669
00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:18,480
Understand when a man cast off. 
His wife simply because he wants

670
00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,920
another. 
When he uses the law to justify 

671
00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:25,880
his own unfaithfulness, Jesus 
is. 

672
00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:30,920
Saying here he. 
Is not a righteous man, he's 

673
00:45:30,920 --> 00:45:32,400
saying. 
That he is guilty. 

674
00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:38,640
Of sin, and not only guilty of 
his own sin, but he's going to 

675
00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:39,680
be. 
Guilty for the. 

676
00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:42,200
Damage that he causes in the 
lives of others. 

677
00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:49,560
Often times you have. 
I mean, you always have a woman 

678
00:45:49,560 --> 00:45:51,360
who's left behind in that 
scenario, but you often have 

679
00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:53,120
children left behind in that 
scenario. 

680
00:46:02,140 --> 00:46:03,740
What's happening here is that 
in. 

681
00:46:03,740 --> 00:46:07,820
Leaving her, he puts her in a 
place where she is going to go 

682
00:46:07,820 --> 00:46:12,200
and commit adultery, meaning he 
places her in a situation where 

683
00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:14,400
the covenant has been wrongly 
broken. 

684
00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:17,520
She's. 
Left single. 

685
00:46:18,440 --> 00:46:21,600
And is probably going to go 
remarry, but that remarriage is 

686
00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:27,520
not honored in God's view. 
Well, this is what sin does it. 

687
00:46:27,520 --> 00:46:32,480
Compounds doesn't. 
It it never stays contained. 

688
00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:40,040
It always spreads. 
I understand this is a very 

689
00:46:40,040 --> 00:46:43,400
difficult passage, so. 
So let me just offer a word here

690
00:46:43,400 --> 00:46:46,400
because I I do know that this 
touches real lives in this room.

691
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:54,720
Some of you have walked through 
divorce, some of you are 

692
00:46:54,720 --> 00:46:59,120
remarried now and that this. 
Is not meant to crush. 

693
00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:01,400
You under the weight of the 
past. 

694
00:47:03,080 --> 00:47:06,640
Right, if there has been sin. 
And you have brought your sin to

695
00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:09,000
Christ. 
Then I want you to understand 

696
00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:12,240
there is real forgiveness, there
is real cleansing. 

697
00:47:12,600 --> 00:47:15,440
Christ has paid for that sin in 
full on the cross. 

698
00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:19,280
And there is no second class 
standing in the Kingdom of God. 

699
00:47:23,440 --> 00:47:28,560
But if you have been. 
Wronged in a divorce that was 

700
00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:31,200
unlawful? 
A divorce you didn't want? 

701
00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:34,400
Then then I want to offer to 
you. 

702
00:47:34,920 --> 00:47:38,760
That Christ is sufficient, he he
can comfort. 

703
00:47:38,760 --> 00:47:44,120
You. 
He can heal your wounds, He can 

704
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:49,480
bring you strength, or you feel 
there can be no strength you you

705
00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:50,640
can. 
Trust in him. 

706
00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:59,160
Deeply he'll bond up the broken 
hearted, a bruised Reed, a 

707
00:47:59,160 --> 00:48:02,240
smoking flax. 
He does not quench, he does not 

708
00:48:02,240 --> 00:48:06,160
throw away. 
You can come to him in all your 

709
00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:11,000
pain, your suffering, and find 
rest for your soul. 

710
00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:20,080
So why teach a passage like this
when you know? 

711
00:48:20,080 --> 00:48:21,640
That it's going to affect so 
many different. 

712
00:48:21,640 --> 00:48:23,080
People in so many different 
ways. 

713
00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:26,880
Why not just skip it? 
One our conviction won't let us 

714
00:48:27,080 --> 00:48:28,360
We're going to preach every 
verse. 

715
00:48:30,680 --> 00:48:33,920
But at the same time, Jesus. 
Will not allow us to treat 

716
00:48:33,920 --> 00:48:38,120
marriage lightly just because 
we've got sin in our past or 

717
00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:41,400
we've got hurt in our past. 
Right, he he calls. 

718
00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:45,360
Us to see marriage. 
Rightly, he's going to really 

719
00:48:45,360 --> 00:48:48,520
get into it. 
In Matthew 19, he calls us to 

720
00:48:48,520 --> 00:48:49,720
see it. 
As a covenant before. 

721
00:48:49,720 --> 00:48:52,520
God, not a contract of 
convenience. 

722
00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:56,480
It's not me. 
It's not like me and my 

723
00:48:56,480 --> 00:48:58,680
streaming. 
Services right that I'll cut off

724
00:48:58,680 --> 00:49:00,840
when I don't want to watch them 
anymore and then I might add a 

725
00:49:01,080 --> 00:49:03,080
few months later when they add 
something I want to watch all 

726
00:49:03,560 --> 00:49:11,160
right that that's not how 
marriage works so so we hold as 

727
00:49:11,160 --> 00:49:18,160
disciples of Christ as members 
of new Life Community Church, as

728
00:49:18,160 --> 00:49:22,000
elders, as people who will have.
To answer to God one. 

729
00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:26,040
Day we We hold both a high view 
of marriage and a high view of 

730
00:49:26,040 --> 00:49:32,360
grace in sin. 
But I do want you to remember, 

731
00:49:32,360 --> 00:49:35,640
brothers and sisters. 
Sin is not a pet that you can 

732
00:49:35,640 --> 00:49:39,400
manage. 
It's a predator. 

733
00:49:39,680 --> 00:49:42,880
That you are feeding, right? 
And if you feed. 

734
00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:46,600
It long enough. 
It will eventually turn on you 

735
00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:51,000
and destroy your life. 
It'll destroy everything else, 

736
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:53,920
including covenant 
relationships. 

737
00:49:55,440 --> 00:49:58,120
So we must take both sides of 
this passage seriously. 

738
00:49:58,120 --> 00:50:00,640
One, we should guard our heart 
against lust. 

739
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:04,760
And two, we should honor our 
commitments in life. 

740
00:50:05,840 --> 00:50:09,920
We should honor those covenants.
And so for those who are married

741
00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:13,600
currently, I'll just say to you,
cultivate contentment and 

742
00:50:13,600 --> 00:50:15,800
faithfulness in your marriage. 
Cultivate it. 

743
00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:18,280
Here's how you cultivate it. 
Scriptures don't leave this 

744
00:50:18,280 --> 00:50:22,720
unanswered for us in Ephesians. 
5 husbands are told to love. 

745
00:50:22,720 --> 00:50:26,320
Your wife as Christ loved the 
church, and He gave Himself up 

746
00:50:26,320 --> 00:50:28,840
for her. 
He nourishes and cherishes her 

747
00:50:28,920 --> 00:50:31,800
as if she's a wounded part on 
His own body, right? 

748
00:50:31,800 --> 00:50:34,280
He cares intimately and deeply 
for her. 

749
00:50:34,640 --> 00:50:38,440
Proverbs 5 tells you to be 
intoxicated always with her 

750
00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:44,960
love. 
And to wives we have commands 

751
00:50:44,960 --> 00:50:46,160
as. 
Well, wives, submit to your 

752
00:50:46,160 --> 00:50:48,600
husband as the church submits to
Christ. 

753
00:50:50,000 --> 00:50:51,800
Cultivate. 
Godliness in. 

754
00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:54,200
Your life. 
Cultivate godliness in the way 

755
00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:57,120
that you present yourself. 
Be devoted. 

756
00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:01,120
Taught us to be devoted to your 
husband and children above all 

757
00:51:01,120 --> 00:51:03,320
else. 
All right, we know how to 

758
00:51:03,320 --> 00:51:05,480
cultivate contentment and 
faithfulness. 

759
00:51:05,960 --> 00:51:07,640
We've not been left without 
those things. 

760
00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:13,440
So strive to do that. 
Strive to cultivate those 

761
00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:14,640
things. 
I ask the Lord, how can I 

762
00:51:14,640 --> 00:51:16,000
cultivate these things in my 
life? 

763
00:51:16,160 --> 00:51:18,800
Ask the Spirit to lead you. 
Maybe there's things to give up.

764
00:51:18,800 --> 00:51:21,640
Maybe there's things to pursue. 
All right, I can't answer that 

765
00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:27,800
question for you in one sermon. 
That's where you and God come 

766
00:51:27,800 --> 00:51:30,480
together in prayer and study of 
His Word. 

767
00:51:32,160 --> 00:51:34,080
Another. 
Way to cultivate this is to see.

768
00:51:34,080 --> 00:51:35,920
Your spouse as God's gift to 
you. 

769
00:51:37,120 --> 00:51:38,920
I don't care what the. 
Issues are. 

770
00:51:38,920 --> 00:51:43,040
I don't care how problematic 
marriage might be at times, you 

771
00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:47,200
have to see your spouse as a 
gift from God to you. 

772
00:51:50,640 --> 00:51:54,680
In Matthew 19, Jesus says what? 
God therefore joined together. 

773
00:51:54,680 --> 00:51:59,520
Let not man separate. 
He puts marriage on the doctrine

774
00:51:59,520 --> 00:52:01,160
of Providence. 
What? 

775
00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:05,840
God joined together all right. 
You have to see that. 

776
00:52:06,440 --> 00:52:09,440
Protect your marriage at the 
level of your heart, not just 

777
00:52:09,440 --> 00:52:12,160
your behavior. 
Don't think just about, well, I 

778
00:52:12,160 --> 00:52:15,480
probably shouldn't say that, or 
maybe I should say this, or I'll

779
00:52:15,480 --> 00:52:18,320
think just about how frustrated 
I get by all the things that my 

780
00:52:18,320 --> 00:52:21,400
spouse does. 
No, think about where does my 

781
00:52:21,400 --> 00:52:24,240
heart need to be sanctified by 
the Spirit of God? 

782
00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:28,480
So often our frustrations, so 
often our difficulties in 

783
00:52:28,480 --> 00:52:32,520
marriage are revealing something
about our own hearts and we're 

784
00:52:32,520 --> 00:52:36,480
not wise enough to see it. 
We just think it's an issue in 

785
00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:39,320
my spouse. 
But so often. 

786
00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:42,000
God is going to use marriage. 
It's probably the one 

787
00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:45,080
relationship he will use most 
frequently to sanctify you. 

788
00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:49,080
It's what makes marriage so 
beautiful, so lovely, so 

789
00:52:49,080 --> 00:52:51,920
amazing. 
I love. 

790
00:52:51,920 --> 00:52:53,000
The gift of marriage. 
I can't. 

791
00:52:53,000 --> 00:52:59,160
Believe God gave it to us. 
If you're not married. 

792
00:53:00,360 --> 00:53:01,120
Young. 
Old. 

793
00:53:01,120 --> 00:53:02,560
Whatever pursue. 
Purity. 

794
00:53:02,560 --> 00:53:06,000
Now cultivate purity in your 
life. 

795
00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:08,400
What what you practice? 
In your heart. 

796
00:53:08,400 --> 00:53:12,000
Today, young men, young women, 
what you practice in your heart 

797
00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:15,040
and in your life today will 
shape your faithfulness 

798
00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:20,400
tomorrow, all. 
Right. 

799
00:53:20,400 --> 00:53:22,640
I, I, we tell. 
I hope he's not embarrassed by 

800
00:53:22,640 --> 00:53:24,760
this, Wells. 
I never mean to embarrass, 

801
00:53:24,760 --> 00:53:28,160
right? 
But what we often tell Wells, 

802
00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:33,640
who's almost 14. 
Buddy, I get what friends are. 

803
00:53:33,640 --> 00:53:35,400
Doing and pursuing 
relationships. 

804
00:53:35,480 --> 00:53:39,040
Totally understand it. 
I did it myself, but right now 

805
00:53:39,040 --> 00:53:42,720
at. 14 almost. 
You have nothing to offer a 

806
00:53:42,720 --> 00:53:46,520
woman of any value. 
You're only. 

807
00:53:46,520 --> 00:53:48,680
Going to break a heart or? 
You're going to have yours 

808
00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:51,160
broken or you're going worse, 
you're going to sin. 

809
00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:53,480
You're going to cause major 
issues. 

810
00:53:54,680 --> 00:53:59,680
So cultivate godliness now, my 
son, so that when the time is 

811
00:53:59,680 --> 00:54:03,680
right, you're the right kind of 
man for the right kind of woman.

812
00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:07,680
I don't care about boyfriends 
and girlfriends. 

813
00:54:07,680 --> 00:54:09,760
I don't. 
Care how many my sons have, 

814
00:54:09,960 --> 00:54:13,640
other than it better be 0 right 
until the time's right. 

815
00:54:15,080 --> 00:54:16,960
I should be careful how I word 
things. 

816
00:54:19,560 --> 00:54:23,160
What I love about Wells and Bear
and Haddon is they're all in on 

817
00:54:23,160 --> 00:54:26,680
that. 
We don't fight over it. 

818
00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:28,120
They're. 
All in on it. 

819
00:54:28,600 --> 00:54:32,120
So it can be done and it should 
be done because I'm called to 

820
00:54:32,120 --> 00:54:34,960
protect his purity. 
I'm called to protect his life. 

821
00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:37,880
I'm called to protect his 
emotions and his strength of 

822
00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:39,920
character. 
I'm called to help cultivate 

823
00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:42,040
those things, right? 
So we're going to do things that

824
00:54:42,040 --> 00:54:45,480
the world's not doing and we're 
going to be OK with it and we 

825
00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:47,240
should be. 
I would love for a new life 

826
00:54:47,240 --> 00:54:50,600
Community Church to be that way 
as we think about our teenagers 

827
00:54:50,760 --> 00:54:53,360
and dating like just no, not 
right now. 

828
00:54:54,120 --> 00:54:57,600
You're not ready for that. 
Cultivate godliness, become the 

829
00:54:57,600 --> 00:55:00,480
right kind of man or woman, and 
then the Lord will bless that 

830
00:55:00,480 --> 00:55:06,520
mightily one day Mightily. 
And for all of us. 

831
00:55:07,400 --> 00:55:10,240
Refuse to treat covenants 
lightly. 

832
00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:13,520
Whether it's the covenant of 
marriage, the covenant of 

833
00:55:13,520 --> 00:55:16,400
brothers and sisters together in
the Lord, or ultimately your 

834
00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:20,400
covenant with Christ, refuse to 
treat covenant lightly. 

835
00:55:20,400 --> 00:55:22,640
Understand the depth of 
covenants. 

836
00:55:23,440 --> 00:55:26,560
Remember this faithfulness is 
not formed and a moment of 

837
00:55:26,560 --> 00:55:29,960
crisis faithfulness. 
Is built. 

838
00:55:29,960 --> 00:55:32,480
Through the daily habits of the 
heart. 

839
00:55:34,480 --> 00:55:37,280
As we come to the end of this. 
Passage Jesus has taken a 

840
00:55:37,280 --> 00:55:41,000
command many thought they had 
kept, and he's shown us that 

841
00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:43,720
God's standard goes far deeper 
than we imagined. 

842
00:55:44,680 --> 00:55:47,640
It's not just our actions, it's 
our desires. 

843
00:55:48,360 --> 00:55:53,000
It's not just outward behavior. 
It's our heart and He's shown us

844
00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:57,960
where sin leads to. 
If it goes unchecked, it becomes

845
00:55:57,960 --> 00:56:00,920
devastating. 
What begins? 

846
00:56:00,920 --> 00:56:03,920
As lust in the heart. 
Becomes destruction in our 

847
00:56:03,920 --> 00:56:07,120
lives. 
And so Kingdom righteousness 

848
00:56:07,120 --> 00:56:10,080
demands covenant faithfulness 
from the heart. 

849
00:56:10,200 --> 00:56:14,360
And it warns that unchecked lust
leads to devastating relational 

850
00:56:14,360 --> 00:56:18,480
sin, and that. 
Leaves us with this question, 

851
00:56:21,120 --> 00:56:32,460
what will we do with this? 
Because this is not about 

852
00:56:32,540 --> 00:56:35,780
someone. 
Else it's not about the sins. 

853
00:56:35,780 --> 00:56:37,780
Of another it's not. 
About the problems of another? 

854
00:56:37,780 --> 00:56:42,060
No, this is about your heart 
before your Lord. 

855
00:56:46,100 --> 00:56:47,260
So here's three things you can 
do. 

856
00:56:47,260 --> 00:56:50,860
First you need. 
To be honest, you need to. 

857
00:56:50,860 --> 00:56:54,620
Be honest, we. 
Cannot hide behind outward 

858
00:56:54,620 --> 00:56:58,000
obedience God sees the. 
Heart and. 

859
00:56:58,600 --> 00:57:03,320
Apart from His grace, every one 
of us is guilty when God looks 

860
00:57:03,320 --> 00:57:07,200
at the heart first. 
John 15. 

861
00:57:08,040 --> 00:57:10,920
This is the message we have 
heard from Christ, and we 

862
00:57:10,920 --> 00:57:15,160
proclaim to you that God is 
light, and in Him there is no 

863
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:18,000
darkness at all. 
If we say we have fellowship 

864
00:57:18,000 --> 00:57:22,040
with God while we walk in 
darkness, we lie and do not 

865
00:57:22,040 --> 00:57:25,200
practice the truth. 
But if we walk in the light, as 

866
00:57:25,200 --> 00:57:28,160
He is in the light, we have 
fellowship with one another, and

867
00:57:28,160 --> 00:57:33,800
the blood of Jesus his Son 
cleanses us from all sin if we 

868
00:57:33,800 --> 00:57:35,120
say we. 
Have no sin. 

869
00:57:35,160 --> 00:57:41,480
We deceive ourselves and the 
truth is not in us if we confess

870
00:57:41,480 --> 00:57:43,440
our sins. 
This is the be honest. 

871
00:57:43,440 --> 00:57:46,760
If we confess our sins. 
He is faithful and just to 

872
00:57:46,760 --> 00:57:49,760
forgive us our sins and to 
cleanse us from all 

873
00:57:49,760 --> 00:57:51,680
unrighteousness. 
Praise God. 

874
00:57:53,800 --> 00:57:55,320
But then the apostle John writes
further. 

875
00:57:55,320 --> 00:57:57,960
He says. 
If we say we have not sinned, we

876
00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:03,120
make God a liar and his word is 
not in US. 

877
00:58:05,800 --> 00:58:08,400
We're all sinners. 
We need to be. 

878
00:58:08,400 --> 00:58:11,560
Honest about where we. 
Fall where we fail, where we 

879
00:58:11,560 --> 00:58:14,160
struggle, where we need help 
from the Spirit of God to 

880
00:58:14,160 --> 00:58:17,000
overcome the flesh. 
Secondly. 

881
00:58:17,000 --> 00:58:20,760
We need to take sin. 
Seriously, you cannot manage 

882
00:58:20,760 --> 00:58:22,720
sin. 
You cannot excuse your sin. 

883
00:58:22,840 --> 00:58:25,880
You must wage war against your 
sin. 

884
00:58:25,880 --> 00:58:28,480
You must crush your sin by the 
Spirit of God. 

885
00:58:28,480 --> 00:58:31,400
You must guard your heart, as 
Proverbs 4 says, with all 

886
00:58:31,560 --> 00:58:37,600
diligence, Vigilance. 
Sorry, I don't know what a 

887
00:58:37,600 --> 00:58:39,440
diligence is. 
I guess it's a group of people 

888
00:58:39,440 --> 00:58:44,360
somewhere. 
But vigilance, whatever needs to

889
00:58:44,360 --> 00:58:49,480
be cut off, cut it off. 
Is it really? 

890
00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:52,720
Worth having that? 
App on your phone where you 

891
00:58:52,720 --> 00:58:55,560
might get news but you also get 
porn. 

892
00:58:56,960 --> 00:59:02,800
No, no it's not. 
Is it really worth keeping 

893
00:59:02,800 --> 00:59:07,160
things trying to carry fire 
close to your chest and expect 

894
00:59:07,160 --> 00:59:10,240
not to get burned? 
No it's not. 

895
00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:17,280
Cut it off. 3rd and most 
importantly of all, run to 

896
00:59:17,280 --> 00:59:21,240
Christ the preachers. 
Of old would say. 

897
00:59:21,480 --> 00:59:26,760
Flee to Christ. 
But because where we have been. 

898
00:59:26,760 --> 00:59:32,000
Unfaithful Christ has been 
perfectly faithful where you and

899
00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:33,360
I have been. 
Impure and. 

900
00:59:33,360 --> 00:59:36,920
We've fallen short. 
Christ has been perfectly pure, 

901
00:59:38,240 --> 00:59:41,120
and He didn't come only to 
expose sin. 

902
00:59:41,120 --> 00:59:44,480
He came to forgive sin, to 
cleanse it, and to give us new 

903
00:59:44,480 --> 00:59:47,880
hearts so that we might. 
Truly. 

904
00:59:48,040 --> 00:59:53,720
Walk in holiness with him. 
So turn to him. 

905
00:59:54,560 --> 01:00:00,320
Trust in Christ and then by His 
grace, fight for purity in your 

906
01:00:00,320 --> 01:00:04,080
heart and faithfulness in your 
life. 

907
01:00:04,880 --> 01:00:08,840
Let's pray. 
Heavenly Father, we thank you 

908
01:00:08,840 --> 01:00:10,160
today for. 
Your word. 

909
01:00:12,800 --> 01:00:15,680
It's difficult. 
Father, we thank you that you 

910
01:00:15,680 --> 01:00:20,480
say the the hard things as a 
loving Father ought to, that you

911
01:00:20,480 --> 01:00:26,640
guide us in righteousness, that 
you reveal the depths of our own

912
01:00:26,640 --> 01:00:30,640
hearts, the ugliness of our sin,
that the disease that it is. 

913
01:00:33,520 --> 01:00:38,080
And you encourage us. 
To cut it away, to fight against

914
01:00:38,080 --> 01:00:43,920
it, to slay it by the spirits. 
And Lord, you equip us. 

915
01:00:44,920 --> 01:00:48,880
To do that, you equip us to walk
holy before you. 

916
01:00:49,600 --> 01:00:53,960
We're not going to be perfect. 
Christ is the only perfect. 

917
01:00:55,560 --> 01:00:57,160
But you have called. 
Us to live. 

918
01:00:57,560 --> 01:01:00,360
A life worthy of the gospel 
we've received to to live all 

919
01:01:00,360 --> 01:01:03,000
the life that honors our Lord 
Jesus. 

920
01:01:04,040 --> 01:01:07,640
And so, Lord, would you help us 
to cultivate a holiness in our 

921
01:01:07,640 --> 01:01:12,640
hearts? 
Made us the seat of sin. 

922
01:01:13,040 --> 01:01:17,440
In US become the seat of 
righteous desires. 

923
01:01:20,200 --> 01:01:22,000
Would you cleanse us of our 
sins? 

924
01:01:22,160 --> 01:01:25,400
Would you purify us, create in 
us a new heart? 

925
01:01:29,840 --> 01:01:36,960
Father, we thank you that you 
love us so much that you care so

926
01:01:36,960 --> 01:01:44,080
deeply about the whole man. 
And that this life in. 

927
01:01:44,080 --> 01:01:47,640
Christ, this discipleship that 
we've been invited into by your 

928
01:01:47,640 --> 01:01:53,400
spirit, it's not just merely 
about fire insurance. 

929
01:01:55,440 --> 01:02:00,000
It's about living a meaningful 
life that honors the Lord, that 

930
01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:05,200
transforms other lives, that 
creates real change and lasting 

931
01:02:05,200 --> 01:02:10,320
impact, and ultimately brings 
glory to your great name. 

932
01:02:14,160 --> 01:02:16,240
The Lord help us. 
I'm. 

933
01:02:22,140 --> 01:02:23,780
Going to give you a moment now 
to. 

934
01:02:24,580 --> 01:02:29,100
Seek the Lord on your own. 
They're in your seats to pray, 

935
01:02:29,100 --> 01:02:31,540
to seek forgiveness, to confess 
sin. 

936
01:02:34,940 --> 01:02:40,420
To seek purity of heart and. 
Life to seek godliness, trust. 

937
01:02:40,420 --> 01:02:42,740
That when you confess your sin. 
That Christ. 

938
01:02:44,680 --> 01:02:46,920
That God through Christ is 
faithful. 

939
01:02:46,920 --> 01:03:43,120
And just to forgive us our sins.
Heavenly Father, we're thankful.

940
01:03:43,120 --> 01:03:49,880
For the throne of grace, when we
can come boldly before our 

941
01:03:49,880 --> 01:03:55,640
sympathetic High Priest in 
prayer, we can declare our need 

942
01:03:56,840 --> 01:04:02,200
for grace, we can declare our 
need for help, and we can find 

943
01:04:02,760 --> 01:04:07,880
not a stiff arm. 
But open arms that welcome us 

944
01:04:07,880 --> 01:04:09,560
to. 
Himself, that we might find 

945
01:04:09,560 --> 01:04:11,800
mercy and grace in our time of 
need. 

946
01:04:13,840 --> 01:04:15,800
Lord, I pray that all those who 
are seeking. 

947
01:04:15,800 --> 01:04:23,480
You now in prayer with hearts 
that are focused upward and 

948
01:04:23,480 --> 01:04:26,320
onward into the things that 
you've called us to I, I pray 

949
01:04:26,320 --> 01:04:29,320
that you would show them much 
mercy and grace now. 

950
01:04:31,840 --> 01:04:35,440
You would heal their sins that. 
You would heal their wounds, 

951
01:04:36,440 --> 01:04:38,680
that you would bond up the 
broken hearted, that you would 

952
01:04:38,680 --> 01:04:41,680
take all their tears and hold 
them in a bottle. 

953
01:04:43,480 --> 01:04:45,320
That you would show that you're 
immense. 

954
01:04:45,320 --> 01:04:50,640
Care for them. 
God, we thank you that you are 

955
01:04:50,640 --> 01:04:53,520
near to us. 
That you'd never leave us. 

956
01:04:53,520 --> 01:04:56,680
You never forsake us. 
It's often. 

957
01:04:56,680 --> 01:04:58,560
True that when you feel. 
Distant. 

958
01:04:59,040 --> 01:05:01,760
It's us that's moved off the 
spot, not you. 

959
01:05:04,440 --> 01:05:07,480
So, Lord, we thank you that you.
Call us home. 

960
01:05:10,360 --> 01:05:12,120
That you you bring us back on 
the. 

961
01:05:12,120 --> 01:05:16,160
Right path. 
And you help us continue the 

962
01:05:16,160 --> 01:05:19,680
journey. 
As a sojourner on our way to 

963
01:05:19,680 --> 01:05:25,840
heaven, Lord, would you sanctify
us? 

964
01:05:27,000 --> 01:05:28,880
Lord, would you save sinners 
today? 

965
01:05:28,880 --> 01:05:32,760
Save those who do not know you? 
Would you grant them new life in

966
01:05:32,760 --> 01:05:35,680
Christ this morning? 
Would you help them to? 

967
01:05:35,680 --> 01:05:38,920
Call on the name of the Lord. 
As they see their sins and see 

968
01:05:38,920 --> 01:05:43,240
their lack of righteousness and 
their need for a Savior, would 

969
01:05:43,240 --> 01:05:48,320
you draw them to yourself? 
May nothing hinder them from 

970
01:05:48,320 --> 01:05:57,600
coming. 
Father, you are steadfast in 

971
01:05:57,600 --> 01:06:00,360
love. 
You're always faithful. 

972
01:06:01,080 --> 01:06:03,960
You you are good to every 
generation. 

973
01:06:07,080 --> 01:06:11,880
And we stand alongside brothers.
And sisters, several generations

974
01:06:11,880 --> 01:06:16,480
removed from the most words were
written, and we declare the same

975
01:06:16,800 --> 01:06:21,600
things about you. 
Thank you for your faithfulness.

976
01:06:21,600 --> 01:06:23,200
Thank you for. 
Your love, Thank you for your 

977
01:06:23,200 --> 01:06:27,360
goodness toward us. 
It's in the name of Christ I 

978
01:06:27,360 --> 01:06:28,480
pray. 
Amen.