JSM | Uprightness.4 | Adultery, Divorce & Vows.1 (9/8/24)
JSM | Uprightness
. 4 | Adultery, Divorce & Vows .1
By Rev. Nicholas Sybrowsky
Heb. (נּט רּקהץ מּןביםךשד דּטנרם'דלט)
Gk. (Βψ Ρεω. Νιξηολασ Σψβροωσκψ)
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Invocation:
Lord, Heavenly Father, we are honored to come before your throne today to bring you honor and praise. I pray that you would help us to focus on you. Use this time, Father, to renew our spirits and to bring us back to our first love. Again LORD, bring us back to our first love. Remove the callouses from our hearts, and let us worship you with vigor and passion, in the mighty and most holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
Opening Word & Reading for Worship:
[ Luke 15:7 & :10 Jesus said of the sinner in The Parable of the Lost Sheep & The Lost Coin: I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous men who need no repentance…there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (MEV)]
We get to celebrate the outward expression of inward change with the Church’s new Brother & Sister in Christ Jesus. They hale & farewell from & to New Hampshire. We’re are grateful you’ve chosen to share this very remarkable day with us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of your protestant profession of faith in Jesus Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, miracles upon miracles, death, resurrection and His current seat at the right hand of the Father. Please join me at the baptismal where we shall baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Join us in worship and in this special spiritual milestone of obedience in the footsteps of Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us worship together in truth and in spirit as one church.
{SLIDE Mt. 28:19-20}
Rules are important and boundaries help us stay in alignment with God’s spiritual law yet knowing the reason behind the do’s and don’ts helps.
Intro:
We continue in the core section of Jesus’ sermon on the mount in the teachings or case studies as described by YouTube@bibleproject team. I’ve been led to group the topics of Adultery, Divorce and vows into a sub-series within our series. Anticipatory to the next 3 weeks on these three topics. Our main passages for the next 3 weeks are Mt. 5:27-37. These eleven codified verses along with the other relational teachings; from the law to the love of enemies are fundamental to a sound conditions of the heart. To be right with God, we must get right in these social & emotional intelligence areas. These are cornerstone foundation to accurate theology, belief and interaction with one another. Jesus is a spiritual heart surgeon. In all these topics the Lord Jesus Christ cuts through all distraction, disruptions and excuses. The savior of mankind cuts to the heart of the matter in each of these circumstantial relations.
Before we read the main text today, let us observe this painful yet redemptive scene from the movie Break Every Chain (2021).
Movie & Cue points Start | 1:20:35—1:27:47 | End
I truly admire the performing arts and this scene enhances the impact view of our main topic today.
(Cite 3: The full length movie PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED Drowning in the depths of depression and sadness, burning with anger, and chained down by alcoholism, Jonathan couldn’t do it anymore. After the loss of his father as a young boy, facing countless horrific death scenes in the line of duty, and the death of his son, Jonathan turned to the world for answers—finding only darkness. Facing the threat of losing his job as a police officer, the loss of his wife and daughter, and contemplating suicide, Jonathan turns to faith and finds hope and redemption.
Director: Tim Searfoss
Starring: Ignacyo Matynia, Dean Cain, Krystian Leonard)
Main Text:
(Mat 5:27-30 ESV Cite 1) "(27) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' (28) But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (29) If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. (30) And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."
"(27) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'
Correlating Verses: from KJV(Cite 1) “Thou shall not commit adultery” Exo 20:14; Lev 20:10; Deu 5:18; Deu 22:22-24; Pro 6:32
(Exo 20:14 ESV) "(14) "You shall not commit adultery."
(Lev 20:10 ESV) "(10) "If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."
(Deu 5:18 ESV) "(18) "'And you shall not commit adultery."
(Deu 22:22-24 ESV) "(22) "If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. (23) "If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, (24) then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst."
(Pro 6:32 ESV) "(32) He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself."
1. The Decalogue Keeps it simple for the stupid yet, for some it wasn’t enough of a boundary.
The KISS method works pretty well for me thus far in my life. Keep It Simple Stupid. Simply put don’t commit adultery. Don’t cheat! Evidently a list of do’s and don’ts wasn’t enough for mankind. Eating from all the trees in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a simple rule, yet man fell as a result of mankind complicating reality.
Archbishop Trench of ‘Studies in the Gospels-Preface’ shares this remark March 8th of 1867. (Cite 2)
“I have never been able to consent with that which so often is asserted—namely, that the Gospels are in the main plain and easy, and that all the chief difficulties of the New Testament are to be found in the Epistles.” ~Archbishop Trench
Let me remind you that the Old-Testament conceals the Messiah and the New Testament reveals the Lord Jesus Christ. In all of these teachings from Jesus he enhances our view of the “thou shall not commit adultery”. He provides us a how to not commit adultery.
If memorizing the ten commandments was enough to keep us on the straight and narrow path, then we wouldn’t need Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The law, as in the Pentateuch, wasn’t enough by itself. The letter of the law was missing the spirit for most. Thank God we have Jesus who has fulfilled the law and the prophets!
2. Jesus gets to the heart of the matter by revealing to us HOW and WHY instead of simply telling us to not do it.
A) Ancients, Mountains, of the Old Ages, old as time or in my ESV “You have heard”. There’s an important pattern to recognize here in Matthew’s careful description of this discourse. To see this pattern, I need you to look at the entire chapter from 5:1 to :44
B) “They Say or have said” and “I say”. In :1 we have the mountain reference which is symbolic in my opinion. It’s symbolic of the “ancients” Mountains have always held a special space for the sacred seeking of God. Depending on the translation you’re in you’d see something similar to “THEY SAY” and “I SAY”. Verse one is a “THEY SAY” in my opinion representing since the beginning of Creation.
In verse 2 Jesus “opened his mouth” in my opinion this is an “I SAY” moment. The rest of the pattern is much more obvious. See the following verses: :17 Validates the Decalogue, :21, :27, :31, :33, :38, and :43. “they say” Including the opening verse of this chapter we have eight references of as old as Creation. Or in other words it has been this way since the beginning. In the following verses :20, :22, :28, :32, :34, :39 & :44 “I say”. Including verse two in the opening of this chapter we have eight references to “I say” in other words here is where and how you can get this right.
They say don’t do it physically. I say don’t do it in your mind. The heart of the matter is in your soul. Your subconscious thoughts lead you to act out physically. If we can train our hearts to be pure then we shall see God.
[Mat 5:8 KJV] 8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
I’m not suggesting the OT doesn’t render helpful advice in how or why we ought to avoid committing adultery. But the difference is that Jesus convicts us for simply fantasizing about the physical action. Jesus isn’t sharing anything new to us, but he is empowering us to see the pathway to overcoming and preventing the physical violation to occur. If it has occurred in the core of your thought life, then stop there. Repent before you accept the action. By allowing our thought life to lust in anything outside the law we can actually train ourselves and deceive ourselves into committing any of these violations including adultery. If we get comfortable committing these violations in our mind, then we very well are on the path toward executing said violations.
3. Do not love the world or anything in the world.
[1Jo 2:15-17 KJV] “15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
Lust. Lust of the eyes. Lust of the flesh and the pride of life shared in this Epistle 1John reflects worldly lusts. In my opinion, these 3 ideas were also present in dealing with anger. Cain allowed lust to lead him in response to his anger. He probably had lust in his heart at the time of offering his insufficient sacrifice. Maybe he was deceived by the attitude of “getting something for nothing”. Our main text is specifically about the lust and selfishness that leads us to sexual immorality.
The basic definition of adultery is cheating on one’s own spouse. But the infidelity is much deeper than this according the spiritual laws of God. These verses of Mt. 5:27-30 don’t mention marriage but in their culture, it is assumed or rather the expected standard. Chastity is practice up and into formal marriage.
Jesus teaches here in verse 28 that lust begins within the heart of our inner beliefs. This teaching like the teaching on anger get’s straight to the matter at hand. The definition of adultery is much broader in light of lust. I think what I am trying to articulate is that adultery is much more than a violation on your spouse. It impacts your family, your friends, and your neighbor. Adultery is a violation of God’s law. Verses :31-:32 are about divorce indicating that the two subjects are very relevant to each other. We’ll examine the teaching about divorce in more depth next week. Assuming the Lord continues to tarry and doesn’t return before next Sunday.
Simply put though, a certificate of divorce was only permitted on the basis of adultery. Lust and sexual immorality are the heart of the matter.
How do we know this is a matter of the heart? As in our core beliefs. In Lk 16:13-15. [Luk 16:13-15 KJV] 13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Our God is a jealous God. He is our first love and if we’re not careful to obsessively love God as the 1st commandment instructs us, we are subject to failure and curse instead of blessing. God teaches us what real love is and makes us loving people.
4. Next Week: JSM | Uprightness.5 | Adultery, Divorce & Vows.2
Conclusion:
Commit to righteousness. Do so deep from within yourself. Listen to the thoughts you’re having and compare them to scripture. Are you adopting beliefs that are leading you away from inheriting the Kingdom of God? God knows our inner most thoughts, in other words He knows our hearts. When we fail to adapt, adjust and train ourselves to meet the moral standards of God we may attempt to short cut the overall goal by making exceptions to the instructions in the Torah. As Jesus said
“[Mat 5:14-16 ESV] 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Exhortation:
Again, the Pharisees and others loved money and desired that the law could be made “void”() and abolished() to gain a relief of the burden of obedience. Jesus honors the law and enhances our vision and ability to perfectly practice the law. Instead of justifying ourselves and making exceptions so as to feel good about our failed practice and execution. Minimizing procreation to a simple physical act doesn’t honor God. Describing procreation as “it’s just sex” is like minimizing the activity so as to “justify ourselves before men”()
Altar Call to Action/Suggested Response:
Please close your eyes and bow your heads. Regardless of your background and your history. By show of hands or comments. Who here is committed to purity of heart? That’s all that it takes. If you commit to righteousness and allow God into your innermost parts, then you’re on the path to see God. How many of you by show of hands or comments want to see God?
Prayer & song.
Lord, on behalf of everyone that can receive this message today. Please forgive us for not guarding our hearts from that which stirs up your wrath. Thank you for the mercy of Jesus Christ whose blood washes us clean and redeems us from infidelity. Have your way in your children and allow us space to repent and commit to your holy way over and over again. However, many times it takes for us to get your will perfectly executed let us learn from our mistakes and bring you greater glory and honor by the way we behave in sight of who you are.
Benediction:
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. ~Jude 1:24, 25 (NIV)
Next Week Sermon:
Citations:
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