Matt 5 (Part 2) SEMPER FIDELIS

Real Righteousness Part 2
Part of the “Design of a Disciple” series

Sunday, 19th October, 2008 7pm service

“There’s a big difference between the righteousness of being compliant and the righteousness of being joyfully obedient.
There’s a big difference between the righteousness of the Pharisees and the righteousness that God is asking for.
If we can separate mere compliance from loving righteousness, we’re on our way to understanding…” From Part 1

Now that we’ve had a look at the way Jesus has separated mere obedience and real righteousness, I’m going to jump over to Matthew 5:27
You’ve heard it said that that “You shall not commit adultery”[1].
Well, that’s pretty easy to figure out if you’ve crossed that line or not, isn’t it? Excellent – we shouldn’t have any problems, then. No worries...
You know better. Adultery’s one thing we’d rather not talk about that much. But, just for the record, this is how seriously Jesus takes it. Listen to his language.

You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I tell you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, tearit out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.[2]


That’s pretty extreme. And that’s twice he’s talked about hell.


In the Greek, his choice of words adds some graphic richness to the picture here – the word is Gehenna.
Gehenna is often used as a nickname for Hell. It was also a real place.
It was the garbage-dump outside the walls of Jerusalem. It’s where the dead horses and dead dogs and dead humans ended up, along with everything else. This is a city with no flush-buttons and no rolls of soluble toilet paper, and hot dry summer days. Things caught fire and smouldered for days. It was famous for its flies. Get the picture?
It's a clever picture, too – there's a word-play here. Throw your eye into the garbage before your whole body ends up being tossed out with the trash. If you have to, throw your hand into the garbage before your whole body ends up there… and if your body does end up there, it’s because you’re dead. You’re out there with the flies.
I’m not advocating that we physically start hacking off pieces of our own bodies like something out of a SAW movie. But… that’s still a hard-core, violent picture that he paints, isn’t it?

If something is going to drag you into sin, get rid of it. Get it out of your life. Lose it. Chop it off, pluck it out, unplug it, de-program it, cancel the account, get a new SIM-card and number for it if you have to…

This is serious, Jesus uses deadly-serious language, and we need to pay serious attention to just how seriously Jesus comes out swinging against adultery.
Let’s get something straight – Jesus isn’t talking about a situation here where somebody walks by, and our eyes catch a glimpse, and little bits of us go… hey! The Lord God made man, and He made woman, and He stood back and saw that it was good… Genesis 1:31, it was very good. The first time I saw Fiona, my Adam’s apple just about did a cartwheel.(Still does, too!) Okay, that’s one thing.
There’s a difference between that, though, and what Jesus is talking about here. Again, going to the Greek is pretty helpful… everyone looking upon a woman with a view to desire has already committed adultery in his heart.
A view to desire… That implies more than a casual glance, doesn’t it? This is a different kettle altogether.
Let’s not be mucking around here. If there’s something that constantly provides a pathway for you to sin here… to slide from merely being tempted to being a promise-breaker…
Because that’s the worst bit about adultery. That’s the violence of adultery. It’s not just about the sex or the misuse of sex. There’s that line again. There’s the righteousness of the Pharisees. This goes beyond sex.

The fact is, adultery is a promise-breaking sin. It’s an act that breaks vows, and that’s something that flies hard in the face of God’s character.
You’ve made a solemn vow and promise to your wife or husband – and you’ve made that promise in the presence of God.

God is a God of promises, and a God of faithfulness to promises. You want to know how highly God thinks of marriage and the strength of those promises?
How often does God use the language of marriage when He describes Israel, His people, His church, His Son…? The relationship between God and Israel is often described as a marriage in the Old Testament.

And some of the most ripping, most painful language that you can find is used by God when Israel is unfaithful. Homework – read the book of Hosea. Read the front end of Jeremiah. They are two frighteningly painful books.

And if you’ve been the victim of adultery, or if you’ve had someone cheat on you, Hosea’s prophetic message just resonates with pain, anguish and raw, howling anger as the people of God abandon Him for others. You feel the rage and sorrow; it’s almost a physical force.

You’ve made a solemn vow and promise to your wife or husband – and you’ve made that promise in the presence of God. God is a God of promises, and a God of faithfulness to promises. If you’ve made a promise to someone in God’s name, then for God’s sake, keep it.

Semper Fidelis. It’s the motto of the United States Marine Corp. It means Ever Faithful, and it’s a great motto to take for ourselves. Ever faithful to our partners. Ever faithful to our children, to our families. Ever faithful to our Lord, who is always and forever faithful to His Word and His promises.

For those of us who haven’t made those promises to another yet… let me say this. Take this seriously, too. Yes, you need to be married before you commit adultery. But you need to understand exactly how important, how sacred, how precious God considers this bond. Treat it with that level of respect. Don’t even begin to approach that line in anyone else’s promise. Live like you’ve already made a promise to a beloved one.

If you can master these temptations now, while you’re still young, you’re on a path that will set you up well for later. It won’t be easy. The world will not let you have it that easy. But if you can master the temptations now, you’re on the way.

Obedience – compliance – says “you shall not commit adultery”.

Righteousness says that you are an example to the world of what faithfulness looks like. Both godly faithfulness to each other, and the kind of faithfulness that marks God Himself – the faithfulness of God to His word and His people.

Semper Fidelis. Ever Faithful.

NEXT - MURDER ONE, TWO, THREE...

[1] Jesus' quote can be found at Exodus 20:13, Deut 5:18

[2] Matthew 5:27-30
Photograph was sourced from http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x149/nappiejean/blacklove3.jpg I cannot find a credit for the photographer; it has appeared in several blogs. Originally located via Google Images under "old love"