Man on a Mission: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (God's Purity)
*** Matthew 5:27-32 ***
We are beginning the year by reorganizing our priorities. There is no better way to do this than unpacking what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount stressing how we engage our relationships, our service and our money. There is no unpacking relationships without thinking through how we approach human sexuality.
We must understand the Scripture as Jesus calls us to examine God's love of beauty, the dangers of cultural sexuality and the blessings of purity.
Understanding the Scripture:
Lust is not just thinking that someone is handsome or acknowledging that they are pretty. Those are facts and should be encouraging to those to whom the compliment is given.
Looking at someone lustfully is Biblically defined as Looks at: (Blepo) - to look, see, take care, watch, be on the lookout. Lustfully: (Pros) - to, toward, for (Epithymeo): to desire, long for. The word refers to the inclining of one's affections toward or setting of one's heart upon something.
What follows the lust are usually fantasies, whether physical or emotional, which can not be righteously fulfilled or acted upon without damaging another relationship. Lust is not the natural desire that you would have for a husband, wife or soon to be spouse. It is essentially self-gratification without the responsibility of commitment.
You are not responsible for the way that someone else is dressed, though you are responsible for how you dress. Your innocence or guilt comes from your response.
There is a common misconception that the Old Testament presented a wrathful God of vengeance, and that the New Testament introduced a different god, Jesus, who was full of mercy and love. The thought is that Jesus overturned all of the misrepresentations of the one true God. What we see in the Sermon on the Mount is that Jesus did nothing of the sort. He is still full of love and grace, but if anything, presented a truth where he raised the bar in God's expectations for us, taking the issue of sin from external behaviors to the heart, from whence all activity flows.
Why does Jesus give us such a high standard? Hasn't everyone had moments where we've fallen prey to such thoughts? It is because whether we are talking about murder or adultery, these are the things that we would do when driven to an emotional peak with ease of opportunity and without the immediate threat of consequence. Essentially, if we thought that we wouldn't get caught or that God would not judge, we would persist in these destructive manners. This has been the conclusion of nihilistic philosophers for ages.
“What we think about when we are free to think about what we will – that is what we are or will soon become.” ― A.W. Tozer
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you. (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV)
What does Jesus mean when he speaks about gouging out my eyes and cutting off my hands? It means to take the commands of God so seriously that we are willing to get rid of the things that cause us to stumble. If you love someone, you are willing to go to extreme measures to show them. You don't need to place your standards on other people. You need to know yourself and make adjustments accordingly so that you can maintain your purity (i.e. - computer usage in public, refraining from certain types of movies or romance novels, ending unhealthy relationships)
God's Love of Beauty:
There is a paradigm that assumes Christianity's view towards sex is a puritan prudishness or a catholic containment unit. You hear stories of Catholic girls going wild because of the taboo with which sexuality is treated in the home or Protestant men escaping into debauchery because of the eroticism saturating our culture. The truth of the matter is that sex, as described by God, is a beautiful thing, a celebrated thing and is spoken of in Scripture in the most satisfying and liberating terms.
Beauty is also venerated in Scripture. However, it is not limited to outward beauty, but an internal beauty that makes the most plain person have a drawing power about them. God is described in His beauty and both men and women in the Scripture were noted for their handsomeness or loveliness in form.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. (1 Peter 3:3-5a NIV84)
We beautify ourselves, work out or dress to impress because of our God ordained sexuality.
The Dangers of Cultural Sexuality:
“sex is the consolation you have when you can't have love” ― Gabriel García Márquez
The well being of society is not found in sexual repression, but in the proper valuation, rather than the objectification, of individuals whose beauty will eventually fade.
Rape and broken intimacy in marriages because of pornography are commonplace tragedies, examples of the results of ignoring this rule. New York Magazine male lebido article: http://nymag.com/news/features/70976/
We have had black eyes in the church with recent sexual scandals involving priests and molestation. There have been fanciful inquiries regarding the relationship of Jesus and Mary Magdalene supposing that were married. People speculate as to whether Jesus, as a man, was able to continually interact with prostitutes without impropriety. The question has been raised of whether or not it is even possible to live a chaste life. The answer is a resounding YES and it is through the freedom and fulfillment that he provides through the gospel. Jesus knew who he was, knew that he had a bride waiting for him and purified himself to be the one that she needed
Hooked book
The Blessings of Purity:
Why are each of the commands set forth in Matthew 5:27-32 part of the good news?:
God is not an impersonal force, but a loving Father who wants the best for those with whom he would relate and adopt as children through Jesus.
“I myself said, “ ‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me. (Jeremiah 3:19 NIV84)
All of these commands are making an appeal to your commitment to the well being of another individual over the immediate satisfying of your own desires. The breaking of these laws is a selfish fulfillment of your own interests at someone else's expense. Jesus exemplified the exact opposite. (Give examples of each)
“I am convinced that the human heart hungers for constancy. In forfeiting the sanctity of sex by casual, nondiscriminatory "making out" and "sleeping around," we forfeit something we cannot well do without. There is dullness, monotony, sheer boredom in all of life when virginity and purity are no longer protected and prized.” ― Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity
There is a security that comes with a properly placed and God given identity. B's blossoming and her confidence in my love
The Bible is filled with some of the most descriptive, celebratory and satisfying depictions of sex known to man: Proverbs, Song of Solomon. The key to living in God-ordained fulfillment is waiting for the proper time and the proper commitment. The covenant of marriage is where God places his blessing. He determines that we will be satisfied in the environment in which you will be most secure.
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Hebrews 13:4 NIV84)
What do I do while I'm waiting for marriage?: Develop the skills that will keep a committed relationship alive after the thrill of the conquest of a sexual relationship has waned. The idea of falling in and out of love vs. in and out of lust
Take care of yourself
A person's spouse is to be their standard of beauty - Mark Driscoll
Purity is given by God to be both liberating and fulfilling
For the Christian, the truth is that faithfulness to these commands becomes difficult if it simply culde sacs with us. Because we take for granted that God will forgive us, we are willing to put up with momentary disciplines for our indiscretions. However, IF we understand that every decision that we make is ultimately larger than ourselves, and has eternal weight in being on mission with Jesus to build an alternate city within a city, then the purpose of every act of obedience comes into clearer view. We can see the results of our love for God in the lives that are healed, restored and literally saved from death as we honor Jesus on a daily basis with the goal of seeing others come into relationship with him.
2nd City Church – Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013