1. Sermon on the Mount – Part 4
Matthew 5 v27-30
All NKJV unless otherwise specified
Matthew 5 v27-28
27
“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.
Jesus here refers to the law as stated in the 7th
of the 10 commandments:
Exodus 20v14
14
“You shall not commit adultery.
However Jesus is not adding to the law or prophets, He is clarifying them. The prophet Solomon wrote this in the below
Proverbs
Proverbs 6v23-28 (emphasis v25)
23
For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, 24
To keep you from the evil
woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. 25
Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with
her eyelids. 26
For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious
life. 27
Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? 28
Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be
seared? 29
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
 People satisfy themselves by saying that because they have not actually committed the physical act of intercourse
where a married person is involved, they are innocent of adultery.
 However Jesus clarifies the law (since Jesus and the Father are One, the One who gave the law is the most appropriate
One to interpret the law).
 And the clarification is that adultery can happen in a persons’ heart. The physical act is not a necessary condition for
the sin. The sin originates within the person committing it. Adultery of the heart is a sexual desire towards the person
who is the object of the person’s lust.
 To ‘Lust” comes from the greek word ‘epithumeo’ which means: to long for, desire, covet.
Proverbs 7 v6-27
6
For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, 7
And saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, A
young man devoid of understanding, 8
Passing along the street near her corner; And he took the path to her house 9
In the
twilight, in the evening, In the black and dark night. 10
And there a woman met him, With the attire of a harlot, and a crafty
heart.11
She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home. 12
At times she was outside, at times in the open square,
Lurking at every corner. 13
So she caught him and kissed him; With an impudent face she said to him: 14
“I have peace offerings
with me; Today I have paid my vows. 15
So I came out to meet you, Diligently to seek your face, And I have found you. 16
I
have spread my bed with tapestry, Colored coverings of Egyptian linen. 17
I have perfumed my bed With myrrh, aloes, and
cinnamon. 18
Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; Let us delight ourselves with love. 19
For my husband is not at
home; He has gone on a long journey; 20
He has taken a bag of money with him, And will come home on the appointed day.”
21
With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him. 22
Immediately he went after
her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, 23
Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird
hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life. 24
Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the
words of my mouth: 25
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; 26
For she has cast down
many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. 27
Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers
of death.
 The young man made a decision to go to her house. He is not innocent in all of this. He knew she was married, for she
told him in verse 19.
 He yielded, he gave in to temptation. We can see from the above that he put himself in the path of temptation.
 He was ignorant of the consequences of sin. He did not know it would cost his life. How many people today are
caught up in exactly this situation thinking there are no consequences for adultery and sexual immorality?
 Who were the strong men slain by her? They were ones who knew right from wrong (maybe even well known
Christian/Evangelists?) and yet they still fell into this temptation.

2.  She has led many straight to the gates of hell.
 This is not a game, and should not be taken lightly. This particular temptation is immensely powerful, and there are
certainly seasons where temptation is greater than other seasons. 1 Corinthians 10v12 12
Therefore let him who thinks
he stands take heed lest he fall. Always remain humble and not prideful, remembering that our strength is in God, and
not in ourselves.
 Considering the above (where Jesus says that looking at a woman to lust for her is committing adultery in your heart),
we should have a renewed Fear of the Lord. For it is only by God’s grace that we can overcome such a powerful
temptation. 1 Corinthians 10v13 13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the
way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
 With our agreement, and God’s help, we will not yield in our hearts to this temptation. He is faithful to perform His
side, so long as we are in agreement with the will of God.
 Don’t be foolish, like the ‘young man’ in Proverbs 7 above, who took the path to the house of the temptress. This is
not agreeing with God’s will. You have made your mind up already in this situation.
Matthew 5 v29-30
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.
 The above scriptures follow on from Jesus’ clarification of adultery.
 We know from the above scriptures (Proverbs 7v27) that adultery leads to hell.
 Jesus says that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. The eye is the window of the soul. What you see with the
eyes can cause the very lust which condemns the soul. I personally cannot imagine plucking out my own eye. Can you
imagine the pain? Can you imagine the torment knowing that you will have to spend your days without the sight of
this eye? Yet it is infinitely better for you to do this, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Likewise should
your hand cause you to sin, do so likewise.
 Now Jesus is using the above as an illustration of the gravity of lust/sin. He is not advocating actually self-mutilating
your body, but rather illustrating our approach to addressing the sin in our lives.
 What are we trading off when it comes to adulterous thoughts? What are we in effect gambling with? So what if you
could have any woman/man in the world? What if you could have as many as you wish? For the bible states in Mark
8 v36-38 36
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37
“Or what will a man
give in exchange for his soul? 38
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy
angels.”
So how is this dealt with?
1) If Jesus called adultery of the heart sin, and we are to stop sinning (1 John 2v1 1
My little children, these things I write to
you, so that you may not sin.)
2) It then must be possible to stop sinning. Matthew 19v26 26
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
3) We can ask God to help us in this matter. Matthew 21v22 22
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will
receive.”
4) All thoughts can be brought into captivity 2 Corinthians 10 v4-6 4
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6
and being ready to punish all
disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
5) Sin is no longer our master, believe it! Romans 6v14 14
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under
law but under grace.
6) Put on the full armour of God. Ephesians 6v10,11,13
10
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power
of His might. 11
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 13
Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.