Cutting Off The Connection to Sin

Matthew 5:21-48 contains six statements that begin something like “You have heard” and are followed by Jesus saying, “But I say”.  Jesus covered the subjects of anger, adultery, divorce, making oaths, resisting an evil person and loving our enemies.  With each topic, Jesus requires a response which, often, if not always, grinds against our fleshly nature. 

Let’s look at the second one today.  Matthew 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' [28] But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  We would agree with that one – adultery begins in the heart – it begins with the thoughts.  Most people don’t tend to just decide to commit adultery one day. It happens when the thoughts go awry, doesn’t it?

Lust in the heart or in the mind, doesn’t usually stop there.  It progresses.  Yes, many of you stop it before you play it out in adultery.  But, really, where does it get you?  Just where in the whole process that begins with a lustful thought is it ever satisfying?  Jesus isn’t being harsh here.  He’s trying to save us a whole lot of grief.  He’s telling us – don’t go there.  It will do you absolutely no good.

Now look at His solution.  Matthew 5:29-30.[29] If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. [30] And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 

Now, this is not to be taken literally. Although, if it really is the fault of our eye or our hand, we maybe should consider it.  But, it never is, is it?  It’s the fault of the heart and mind and since killing ourselves is never what God requires, cutting out the mind or heart isn’t an option.

We live in these bodies that are so prone to fleshly desires – we are focusing on sexual desires, but this really applies to any desires.  How does it happen?  How do we so easily fall prey to sinning?  James explains it like this: James 1:14-15 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. [15] Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

Conception occurs when?  Conception occurs when two things meet.  In the case of sin, when temptation comes, (is set before us) and we are drawn to it, we connect to it . When that happens, we have created something – and that something is sin.  So, to prevent that from happening, we’ve got to use birth control – and the morning after stuff doesn’t work.  I guess we could call the morning after stuff confession and repentance. But remember, repentance is saying and realizing that if you had it to do over again, you wouldn’t do it.  Repentance involves regret.  All too often the morning after pill only deals with the consequences. 

Temptations will always be out there.  We can’t make them go away.  Our place is to prevent them from connecting to our desires.  So step #1 is keeping our desires down.  You see, the first thought is not our fault.  Satan is shooting these fiery darts of thoughts at us all the time, our environment puts thoughts before us, and we, being made of flesh, are just prone to fleshly thoughts – that’s the only kind of thoughts the flesh can think. 

So, first, we’ve got to minimize the size of the target – so the temptation has less to aim at.

Jeremiah 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved.  How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? See that word lodge .  This verse describes so well what Jesus is talking about when He is talking about looking at a woman to lust after her.  It’s the second thought, it’s the dwelling on the thought, it’s the allowing the thoughts to lodge that Jesus is talking about.  We are totally in control of those actions.  Like the saying goes - you can’t stop a bird from landing in your hair but you can stop it from building a nest there.  You might have to say “shoo” several times and it often comes back to try again. But,  you can keep it from nesting.  If it is allowed to nest, it’s purpose is to give birth, isn’t it? And you are without excuse, because you have provided the nesting place.

#2 Cut off the connection.  You prevent conception by cutting off the source of connection.  Get rid of whatever it is that feeds your desires – you know – whatever you are exposing your eyes too, your heart to, that makes it harder to resist temptation – that’s what Jesus is saying here.  Cut it out – get it out of your house and out of your sight.

Let me give you one more #3 Keep yourself in the love of God.  Jude 1:21  keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. I can’t think of anyone who has fallen that was doing well with Jesus when they fell.  So, Satan, before He pulls us into sin, pulls us away from Jesus.  When we are in love with Jesus, He is our desire and Satan just finds very little that his temptations can connect with.