Last week we looked at Jesus’ teaching on anger and murder from Matthew 5:21-26 which spoke about God’s heart to protect the sanctity of life. This week, as we continue our series in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:27-32. God is for the pure in heart – shown by God’s love for His people and reflected in the marriage relationship Our tendency is to simply view adultery as an external, outward act. However, Jesus points out that in reality adultery begins with the heart. He says that everyone who looks at another person with lustful intent has already committed adultery with them in their own heart (5:28). Lustful Intent is a look that becomes a stare. Or put another way, it’s a look that becomes a gaze… a look that seeks to “go somewhere.” The man Jesus described looked at the woman for the purpose of feeding his inner sensual appetites as a substitute for the act. Just as in the passage about anger and murder from last week, Jesus equates the motives of our hearts with the very act itself. In shocking language, Jesus calls His listener to cut out the eye or cut off the hand that tempts them to sin. But what did He mean by this? Does He really intend us to physically harm ourselves? No, that is not what He is suggesting. Instead, Jesus used dramatic figures of speech (hyperbole) to call us to put to death our sinful desires. Instead of mutilation, Jesus calls His listener to mortification. John Stott put it this way, Behave as if you had actually cut off your hands and feet, and had flung them away, and we’re now crippled and so could not do the things or visit the places which previously cost you to stumble. To put it more simply, if your eye causes you to stumble, don’t look. If your foot causes you to stumble, don’t go. If your hand causes you to stumble, don’t touch. Here are some practical steps you can take to safeguard your marriage against adultery: - Protect your heart. Take steps to not entertain lust.
- Bounce your eyes. Don’t allow a look to become a stare or gaze.
- Run…flee temptation! Consider the example of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife
- Memorize Scripture. Allow your mind to be filled and meditate on the Word of God (Job 31:1, Psalm 51, Proverbs 5; 6:23-35; 7:21-27).
- Rejoice! – Proverbs 5 reminds us to “Rejoice in the wife of your youth“. Let your affections and gaze be for your spouse only.
- Are you struggling with lust and want to talk with someone? Consider reaching out to Carmel’s Counseling Center and connecting with a counselor or Care Group.
In the next few verses, Jesus shifts His attention to the topic of divorce. Just as lust distorts what God created as good (the beauty of sex in the context of marriage), divorce is a distortion of the beauty of marriage. For the follower of Jesus, Marriage is a covenant relationship between one man and one woman who are pursuing Christ together so that the Gospel is proclaimed. In Jesus’ day, while some were looking for ways to justify divorce, Jesus reminds us that marriage is a covenant, not a contract. So, whether we’re talking about lust, adultery, or divorce… all are distortions of the original, usually the result of not being satisfied and not getting what we want. Here are some practical steps you can take to safeguard your marriage against divorce: If you are married, find a time when you and your spouse can have an unhurried, honest conversation. - Ask your spouse: Are you a better person today because you married me?
- Ask one another: Do you delight in each other?
Commit to the following: - Surrender every day to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
- Serve each other
- Never use the “d” word. Treat the word “divorce” as a swear word in marriage.
- Use the 3D model for your marriage:
Pray daily, date weekly, depart often | 
