June 19, 2020

We are going to spend the next two weeks together as a church reading Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount! The Sermon on the Mount is the first of Jesus’ major teachings recorded in the gospel of Matthew. In it, Jesus explains the ethics and values of the kingdom of Heaven as opposed to the ethics and values of the world. The values and principles that are to govern our lives as followers of Jesus and citizens of the kingdom of Heaven are wildly different from those that govern the various cultures of our world, including the culture in which we live.

Over the next two weeks, allow the words of the Lord Jesus to challenge the way you think, expose the worldly and idolatrous values and desires of your heart, and transform you to live in the new way that He has laid before us!

Like yesterday’s text, Jesus is exposing the sinful heart which lies behind a sinful action in this passage. Today Jesus exposes how the act of adultery is merely a symptom of a heart filled with lust. He goes so far as to say that merely looking at a woman with lust is equivalent to committing adultery with her in one’s heart!

Jesus is not saying that lusting after someone is just as bad as committing adultery with them, just like being angry at someone is not just as bad as murdering them. What He is saying is that, behind the explicit command to not commit adultery is an implicit command to not lust at all, because lust is what leads to adultery. So truly obeying the command to not commit adultery means keeping one’s heart pure from lust as well!

Jesus then goes on to explain the severity and extremity we should go to in fighting sin. Jesus makes clear here that the end of sin is death and condemnation; we have to understand just how deadly and dangerous it really is and, consequently, fight it with the most uncompromising seriousness!

Matthew 5:27-30

Lust

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.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Family Discussion Question:

  • How do the sinful actions we do expose the sin that is in our hearts? What are some ways we can be fighting against sin with the level of seriousness Jesus describes in this passage?

16 thoughts on “Daily Devotional-June 19”

  1. Father of mercies and grace, forgive me for I am such a sinner. Bless me this day. Enlarge my territory. Fill me with your spirit anew and afresh. Help me to avert my eyes and my mind from evil and help me run away from it. Grant me wisdom to avoid in the appearance of evil. Always Father, may I have strength to say no to the devil and his minions so as to not cause you pain. May I never be a stumbling block for others knowing your son. Amen

    2. Gracias padre amado por hoy por ayer y por siempre, gracias por tu bondad y por darnos la sabiduría no nos dejes caer en tentación , guíanos siempre por el bien como has echo hasta ahora, para que no seamos tentados por el diablo y podamos seguir tu verdadera enseñanza para presentarnos ante ti sin manchas, Gracias mi padre celestial tuyo es el reino y toda la gloria en nombre y por amor a tú hijo amado amén ?

  2. Walk by the spirit and not by the flesh. Lord give us strength to walk with you each day.

  3. Lord let the … “words of the Lord Jesus challenge the way we think, expose the worldly and idolatrous values and desires of our heart, and transform us to live in the new way that You have laid before us!”
    Keep our hearts pure from lust which leads to adultery. Remind us daily that sin leads to death.

    “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”❤️
    2 Corinthians 10:3-5
    version=ESV

  4. Dear Lord, Help me to stay focused on You. Create in me a clean heart today, and renew Your spirit within me.

  5. Dear Heavenly Father,
    Help us each day to stay focused on You and not the things of this world. We are taught as children to “be careful what we see, think and do for the Lord above is looking down with love”. If we are truly serious about pleasing You, we will not put ourselves in compromising positions. Though something may seem innocent at first glance, it can lead to total submission. God, keep a hedge of protection around us each day. If we keep You in our hearts and minds we will not sin against You. Help me to live a life pleasing to You. Please forgive me for any wrong doing or unpure thought. Renew in me a clean spirit, dear Lord, I pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

  6. Dear Heavenly Father,
    Help us each day to stay focused on You and not the things of this world. We are taught as children to “be careful what we see, think and do for the Lord above is looking down with love”. If we are truly serious about pleasing You, we will not put ourselves in compromising positions. Though something may seem innocent at first glance, it can lead to total submission. God, keep a hedge of protection around us each day. If we keep You in our hearts and minds we will not sin against You. Help me to live a life pleasing to You. Please forgive me for any wrong doing or impure thought. Renew in me a clean spirit, dear Lord, I pray. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

  7. Lord, help me to keep sinful thoughts out of my heart so that I may not sin against You. Help me to have a pure heart and desire to please You in all I say and do.

  8. Heavenly Father,
    Thank you for your word and for forgiveness. Help us all to obey your word and discipline us when we don’t. Remind us daily how much you love us and when we go astray we are hurting you and our relationship with you. Keep us strong and our focus only on you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

  9. Father, help me to always be obedient to you and continue to stay in your word daily .

  10. Lord please help me to have a clean heart. I am a sinner and desperately need help in this area.
    I love you Father. Help me as I wait on you.

  11. Focus on the Lord & His Word. Stay away from worldly movies, books & worldly people.

  12. Lord, thank you for the trusted friends, family and others, that you have put in my life so that I can be fully known and challenged to grow within the forgiveness of your loving sacrifice.

  13. Lord how in my life time the dress code has changed radically but help me to keep my eyes from lustly dressed ladies on electronal devices

Comments are closed.