Sermon on the Mount – Pt 4

Matthew 5:28-30 (NLT)

27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

1 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT)

18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV)

14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

WHEN DEALING WITH SEXUAL TEMPTATIONS:

1. Guard your heart.

2. Guard what you feed on.

3. Guard who you hang out with.

Remember, God always provides a way out.

Matthew 5:31-32 (NLT)

31 “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

Matthew 19:3-9 (NLT)

3 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” 5 And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ 6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

7 “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.

8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. 9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.”

Deuteronomy 24:1-2 (NLT)

1 “Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house. 2 When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man.

– Marriage is sacred because it was designed to reflect the image of God.

Matthew 19:7-9 (NLT)

7 “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.

8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. 9 And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.”

Matthew 5:32 (NLT)

32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

– God’s very nature is always on the side of the innocent, the vulnerable, and the oppressed.

Matthew 5:33-37 (NKJV)

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

– In God’s kingdom we are called to communicate with others in honest, transparent ways that keep us open and accountable for our words and actions.

COMMUNITY GROUP MEETING OUTLINE:

Where your faith intersects with real life!

Reconnect:

Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.

Explore:

Review the message notes.

Big Idea: In God’s Kingdom we are called to deal with our hearts as it relates to how we view the opposite sex, how we are faithful in marriage, and how we use our words.

Consider:

Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.

▶ Read Matthew 5:27-37.

– What do you find challenging about this passage? Why does Jesus use such extreme statements in his teaching on these subjects?

– If adultery and lust are primarily heart issues, what does it look like to ensure that our hearts are submitted to Jesus in the area of sexual sin? What are some practical (possibly radical) steps that we can take to “run from sexual sin”? (1 Corinthians 6:18)

– Think through each topic from the message — adultery, divorce, and keeping oaths. What is the cost of not submitting to Jesus’s teaching on these things? What are the spiritual, emotional, and relational benefits of obedience to his teaching?

Activate: