Who Is an Adulterer? Part 1 B

When God said, thou shalt not kill. When God sent thou shalt not commit adultery. When God gave any other precept in the Old Testament. He was talking about far more than the deed itself, and that's what Jesus wants them to understand the external system of laws and because God is after the celebrities demand almost anybody can flaunt their infidelities and it hardly raises an eyebrow.

That said, has the world's cavalier attitude about moral purity affected the way the church views it, what does God say only about committing a sinful act like adultery but even the very idea of it. Well today on grace to you. John MacArthur looks at what Christ himself said about trivializing sinful thoughts and attitudes as John continues his series called the sinfulness of sin with a lesson.

Now here's John MacArthur were looking at Matthew chapter 5 in our study are going to look at the passage in verses 27 through 30. Matthew chapter 5 verses 27 to 33 come to this passage. In verses 27 following.

It's a very fitting word for the society in which we live. We need to see what Jesus is saying now the Pharisees had their own viewpoint.

Verse 27 thou shalt not commit adultery. And because they didn't do that.

They thought they were righteous they thought they go right into the kingdom had the chief seats. Maybe you're like maybe Sadie is not so bad. I've never actually gone out of my life I've never committed adultery. I've never done that kind of thing. But Jesus says if you ever looked on a woman to lust after her. You've done it in your heart and that's enough to damn you to hell forever. That's the implication of verses 29, 30, so your self-confidence is shattered here. See the external system of laws and not cut it because God is after the attitude and you see what Jesus wants to do is show them they can't they can't help himself see that you deal with the outside sure they could not commit adultery. They couldn't do anything with the inside. So Jesus hits them where their helpless, hopeless, powerless, which should drive them in desperation to God, who alone can change the heart desperately wanted to believe they were okay. Jesus shows him. They were now with that in mind, I want to digress for a minute. Notice the beginning of verses 27, 28 the beginnings again kicked me off and this I think you'll find it helpful. Jesus starts you have heard, then verse 28 but I say now. This contrast is tremendously important you are. But I say this is the same formula. Verse 21 verse 22 but I say verse 31 it has been said verse 32 but I say verse 33 you have heard verse 34 but I say flowing through you. It points to their misunderstanding of God's law, you have heard from the rabbis from the traditionalists from the scribes and Pharisees from those who interpreted the law but telling you the truth of the law. What you have is not right. It's not sufficient. They have reduced the law of God to a simple external and they haven't given you the whole story they've told you you don't commit adultery. And that's it, you're okay, but I'm telling you there's more to this than just that. You can always invent a system that you can live up to and then convince yourself you're righteous they could avoid committing adultery but they couldn't do anything about their secret life so they missed the whole point of the Old Testament when God said, thou shalt not kill. When God sent thou shalt not commit adultery. When God gave any other precept in the Old Testament.

He was talking about far more than the deed itself, and that's what Jesus wants them to understand initially what I mean, stay with me in this, the basic revelation of God's message to man came through Moses right. In fact, appended to the five books of Moses are basically the the hearts the center. The core of the Old Testament, the prophets in the writings that follow the Mosaic writings are simply explanations, commentaries, elaborations of what is contained in the law of Moses, many, many times you read to the profit you find the prophets indicting the people because they didn't keep the law of Moses you find the profits going back and saying Moses sent to you or have you forgotten what Moses said have you forgotten what God did during the time of Moses. In other words, the Pentateuch sets the pace. There you find the gospel of Moses the gospel of God given through Moses. The rest of the Old Testament elaborates on the Pentateuch and elaborates on that law of God that set of standards which God laid down through most that the essence or the heart of the gospel of Moses is found in the book of Deuteronomy.

Let's look at it together. Deuteronomy is the fifth and last of the five books of Moses, and in this book we have a summary of the law of God.

I believe if you agree with me on this, but stay with me.

Maybe you will. I believe it Deuteronomy is the most important book in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy is coming from two Greek words general meaning.

Second, and now must meaning the law is the second law is the reiteration of the law given by God.

It is the summation as the book of Deuteronomy opens the people are ready to enter the promised land. They are about to go into Canaan and have been delivered from bondage in Egypt. They are God's people.

They have been identified as God's people and now they're going to take their land are going to take the possession of the land God gave now as they move into the land God reminds them of all they need to know and so we have here the summarization of all the gospel of Moses of all the standards for living in God's kingdom there here in the book of Deuteronomy.

In fact, even the 10 Commandments are repeated in the fifth chapter of Deuteronomy. Did you know this. Did you know that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than he quoted any other Old Testament book and did you know this. The New Testament writers quote Deuteronomy more than they quote any other Old Testament book so is a critical book is the summarization of the whole Old Testament, because all that comes after Deuteronomy comments on the Pentateuch, and Deuteronomy is the summary of the Pentateuch, so it is really the key.

The high point of the Old Testament as we go to the Old Testament we find the keys in the Pentateuch. As we look at the Pentateuch, the keys and Deuteronomy. As we look at Deuteronomy. The key is in chapter 6, verse five, thou shalt love the Lord not listen. The Old Testament is not building a relationship on law is building a relationship on what love and people do not understand. They think the Old Testament economy was an economy of law is not.

It is an economy of love is a relationship that God is after love is the key to our relation to God and all through me.

God continues to say I want you to love me.

I want you to love me. I want you to let me try one commitment I want to heart devotion. I will kind of genuine affection for me.

I was Moses. Throughout Deuteronomy and if we had time with the right of the book, you can do yourself over and over and over. He says to the people as the end of the land. You must love the Lord, you must love the Lord, you must love the Lord, why because it is a relationship of love but God is always sought with Mayor oh nonadjacent little help before God ever gave the law as we know it, the 10 Commandments, the Decalogue and all the other statutes and commandments listen before God ever did that. He established a relationship with Israel, he first loved Israel and so the New Testament says the same thing the gospel of Moses the gospel of Jesus.

The Gospel of Paul. The Gospel of Peter the gospel of James in the gospel of John are all identical. We love him because he first what love this, God loved Israel else out all began. God loved us. That's how it all began. First we had a relationship of love and then we had a responsible obedience to his law, God is always wanted a heart relationship. Listen people, somebody in the Old Testament who just mechanically kept the 10 Commandments didn't fulfill the plan of God, the 10 Commandments were only given to regulator relationship was based on love and if the love relationship wasn't there.

The regulation didn't mean anything.

That's the point.

In the Old Testament. You see God put the stair love to go to our heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself and the people of the Old Testament say that Scott Stannard and we can't keep that and that's exactly what you want to exhibit.

If you can't keep the standard what happens you get guilty you get convicted and get the feeling sinful.

You know something God didn't just leave them in the sense of conviction.

He didn't leave them just boggled by their own sinfulness even just leave them frustrated with guilt. He gave them not only the standards but he gave them a system to deal with their inability to keep it.

What system was that sacrificial system and the sacrificial system was given by God in order to give man a way to deal with his inability when a man said or what I can't keep the law of God I'm overwhelmed my sin.

God said then confess your sin to me and prove the genuineness of that confession by an act of sacrifice in the sacrificial system didn't make men right with God. It simply pointed out that only God could make them right with it pointed out they needed to sacrifice. It pointed out there and abilities. So here's the way it went. In the Old Testament God gave us standard in the standard was a relationship of love. Men couldn't fulfill all of that standard required and so they were guilty and convicted of sin, and in order to deal with that. God provided the sacrificial system and the sacrificial system was itself futile. The sacrificial system never gave a lasting peace sacrificial system never really relieve the guilt and its futility. It pointed to the fact that there had to be someday, someplace somewhere full and final and ultimate sacrifice that would once and for all.

Do away with the sin go to see the whole thing pointed to whom Jesus Christ therefore the gospel of Moses was the gospel of Christ. Jesus Christ is no Johnny-come-lately to the standards of Israel. Jesus Christ is the fruition of everything. Moses ever taught the whole sequence just points to a Savior because he's the only one that can deal with Matt on the inside I say John how the 10 Commandments fitting. That's easy.

The 10 Commandments are simply a way to regulate love. That's right, you know, the 10 Commandments are just a definition of love so hello. I heard the 10 Commandments are law, thou shalt not, thou shalt not, that's just lost not there simply a way to regulate love. Did you know that the first four commandments relate to God in the last six commandments relate to your neighbor, they are merely a regulation of love. That's all. Once God established a relationship with people they came out of Egypt. First, the relationship was there. The law was only a way to define how that were and it was twofold toward God and toward your neighbor.

That's the Old Testament in the book of Deuteronomy. That's the gospel of Moses and it is no different than what Jesus said it is no different than what the epistles of the New Testament. You see the point. The hall love God and love your neighbor and that expresses itself toward God and being loyal, faithful, reverent, and set apart.

It expresses itself toward your neighbor and respecting authority established by God respecting life made in his image being pure, unselfish, truthful and contented and beloved limitation. Every single one of those is a heart attitude is everyone. Thou shalt not kill, and thou shall not commit or don't worry are much deeper and broader statements than the scribes and the Pharisees ever allowed for.

They were simply statements of regulating a heart. The sad thing that happened in Israel was the Israelites begin to focus only on the external focus only on the ritual focus only on the religious observance focus only on the outside so that morality became a matter of what you do, rather than a relationship of love and they missed the whole thing. You understand that you understand the background of the sermon on the Mount see understand what you see. So in verse 21 of Matthew five when he says you have heard that it was said by them of old, thou shalt not kill.

Servicer chose to be major judgment. They stopped there that you said don't tell your all right but I'm telling you if your mother you're in danger of hell. Why because you don't love your brother and that's the thing that the issue with God and in verse 27 you heard him say you should not commit adultery but I'm telling you, if you last and you are in your heart, you are guilty.

Why because you had to talk your brother is you're not pure and your child something that isn't yours. This is the whole background so our Lord drives them down deep to the matter of the heart and says that's the issue with me. Their tradition had obscured the original message and corrupted Christ want to reiterate, when he gives the law here to the scribes and the Pharisees what's good to be the reaction say the same thing. The Jews of old would say we can't keep that We can't do what were not that good.

We can't love like that all the time we we can't maintain God and that is exactly what he wants him to say in the Old Testament when they couldn't maintain it. They went directly into the sacrificial system right and ultimately the sacrificial system consummated in Jesus Christ was slain as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, whom the writer of Hebrews says by one offering he perfected for ever them that are sanctified, writer of Hebrews said he did with the blood of bulls and goats could never do take away sin and that's why beloved after Jesus died on the cross and paid the final penalty. Jesus brought judgment on the city of Jerusalem. The Roman soldiers came down within about 30 years or so into the city of Jerusalem, and they literally destroyed the city.

They destroyed the temple, which by then had its failed rent in twain anyway because the sacrificial system was open when it was done when Jesus died, but in 70 A.D. they came in and they literally destroyed the temple, obliterated the city of Jerusalem and since that time to this very hour there is never been a sacrificial system in Israel since why is was over because that for which it pointed was there in Jesus Christ. It was the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ that took away the sin that all the system of sacrifices could never take away, but simply pointed to use a will that help with that person in the Old Testament be saved because the efficacy of Christ's death.

In this period of time.

When he died, went forward to us and backward to them and if they believe God when they lived, and if they look forward to the fact that God would take away their sin by his power, and if they knew they couldn't do it on their own and they believe God for a sacrifice that would then he applied to them. The sacrifice of Christ, though as of yet. He had not even given and us. We are on the stand. Though Christ died 2000 years ago is sacrifices apply to us today. If we believe and accept.

So Jesus wants to force us to frustration and an inability to keep the hides all the law of God, and run for mercy to Jesus Christ, who alone can grant us a righteousness we can. Not on our own. Obtain in second Corinthians 521, Paul sums it up in these words for he hath made him who knew no sin was that Christ to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in here.

In other words, we couldn't be righteous because we were sinful, but he became sin that we might become righteous.

He bore our sins to make us righteous Sobel about telling you this, the words of this covenant that cemented the relationship in the Old Testament were not legalistic the 10 Commandments weren't even legalistic. They simply brought a standard by which a loving relationship to God and your neighbor could exist and there had to be the relationship first or all the law.

Keeping that went on meant absolutely nothing you know so there are people today in our society live by New Testament ethics. Did you know that the good fathers and mothers nice people good neighbors give to charity go to church though, kill people don't commit adultery. They they keep the outward law you know what they don't have the relationship so the law means nothing because it is the outworking of love. The inner attitude I'm telling you was always the issue with God.

Whether you're in the older the new test and that's why Jesus can say I didn't come to destroy the prophets. I didn't come to set Moses aside, I didn't change one single thing. Just put it back where it belongs. And unless you get to that level, which is higher than the scribes and Pharisees, you will never under any circumstances enter my kingdom. Of course, we realize we can't, and that forces us to Christ, so Moses was pushing people to Jesus. Just like Christ was pushing them to himself. In fact, in Luke 1615.

The Pharisees were so covetous in their hearts. Jesus said to them you are.

They listen to this great you are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts that good and then he says for that which is highly esteemed among men is a abomination in the sight of God is an abomination to God to keep an external without a heart relationship God knows your hearts law and the prophets.

Nothing is change still a hard, so our Lord simply redefines the original standard. In so doing, he defines righteousness and sin in true biblical terms. This is so important what Jesus is really doing is preaching on sin. You don't understand sin will never understand anything else in the Scripture, Jesus spends a tremendous amount of time dealing with the problem of sin was when the memory of John Newton was nearly gone and he was an old man that great state of God couldn't preach anymore. Forgotten so many things he couldn't carry on a conversation we send this. He said it seems as though there are only two things I can remember one is that I am a great sinner and the second is the Jesus Christ is a greater Savior. That's the issue. That's what Jesus one of the Pharisees see that's what he wants you to see.

You are so great a sinner you could in the tone for your sin.

He did it for you. I read this week about a child was bitten by a poisonous snake and the mother was there when the child was bitten in the mother was just struck with love for the child and so she placed her lips over the wound to suck the poison she succeeded in doing it save the child's life general cutter lip poison went into her and she died. So it is with Jesus Christ, drained out of us, as it were, the poison of the serpent. In so doing, died in our place. We are great sinners but he's a great city, a man thank you father again for giving us insight into your precious word help us to know that it is a relationship you want. Not a set of rules relationship that we could never keep in our own strength and so we fly to Jesus Christ for grace and mercy, forgiveness, and righteousness that he alone can give.

So father, we thank you for what you will do would have to Christ. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary. His current study comes from Matthew chapter 5 it's titled the sinfulness of sin while the Lord's teaching here in Matthew five.

This was revolutionary when he taught it and it's revolutionary now, so let me ask you John about your own experience studying and teaching through the book of Matthew Matthew five, the sermon on the Mount. This was a kind of turning point in your ministry. Talk about the impact this had on you and the congregation of Grace Community Church well in my education I had been taught that the sermon on the mount Matthew 5 to 7 was a kind of manifesto for the millennial kingdom and that it did not relate to the current church age that may seem bizarre for people to hear me say, but that is exactly what was taught as the old Schofield view. That was the old Schofield dispensational view and so it was dismissed as any kind of standard for evangelism or Christian life just pushed off into into the future millennium that never sat well with me. There were other things about traditional dispensationalism that didn't set well either and systematically through the years my instincts have been validated because I've come to the conclusion that most of what I thought sounded wrong was in fact very wrong. So the first thing that happened to me in Matthew five was I took it as a message from our Lord. That was transcendent that basically was for every person in every age and every period of time and it could be applied to every life. It was a great masterful evangelistic sermon that implications throughout all of time so this was a huge turning point in me as I had to kind of reshape my theology as I went through the sermon on the mount, and that meant Matthew chapter 5.

It all started with the Beatitudes. I honestly had never really thought much about the Beatitudes because I'd been taught that they really don't apply once I get into the Beatitudes. It was absolutely life transforming. I would probably say my time in the sermon on the Mount was the most transformative time in half a century of teaching the Bible while so this is profoundly important material. This is the first real sermon we here in the New Testament from the lips of our Lord.

We need to know everything that's contained in it. If you want more information on this.

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