OVERCOMING THE POWER OF SIN
Matthew 5:27-32
A few years ago, there was a fascinating but
rather unpleasant story. It had all the qualities of a good mystery. A frantic
911 call brought police to a home. The caller had only been able to communicate
that she needed help and was being killed. When police arrived, they found a
bloody knife beside her lifeless body on the kitchen floor. Blood was spattered
across the room, yet upon examining the body, they did not find a single cut or
puncture wound … [but] they noticed a trail of blood leading into the next room
and followed it. Entering the room, they found a large dying boa constrictor.
Apparently, the snake had been raised as a
pet, but on this day, it wrapped itself around the woman as she was cooking in
the kitchen. For whatever reason, she had allowed the snake to entwine her body
in its coils, and once it began to constrict its muscular body around her, she
sensed the danger. In a panic, she grabbed a knife and began to slash away at
the snake, and, while managing to mortally wound it, she was killed herself in
the process.
This tragic story is a vivid example of the
power of Sin in our lives. We often take subtle compromises into our lives as innocent
pets, thinking we can handle them without real risk, and thus deal with Sin
flippantly, all the while placing ourselves in great danger."[1]
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned his followers about the all-consuming
power of Sin in an individual's life and in their relationships. Last week, we
learned that Jesus wanted his followers to pay more attention to what goes on
in the heart than to the outward actions.
Today, we will examine another dangerous
aspect of Sin in the heart of man, which, if left unchecked, becomes a
destructive force that can ruin marriages and families. In this passage,
Matthew 5:27-32, the main idea is not just about the outward actions of
adultery and divorce, but about SIN and especially how to overcome it. I titled
this message "Overcoming the Power of Sin." Any
discussion about Sin is not popular these days. Some think they are good people
and they never sin, so they are never in need of forgiveness. But unless we
understand the doctrine of Sin, we can never truly appreciate God's gift of
salvation. Let us explore the doctrine of Sin.
I. The Origin, Nature, and Power of Sin
What
is Sin? Sin is not a weakness or shortcoming, but it is a violation of
God's laws. I John 3:4, "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is
lawlessness." No matter who you are, we are all guilty of breaking God's
laws one time or another and deserve to be punished. God did not create it, but
had its beginning with Lucifer, who was later renamed as Satan. He brought Sin
to humanity by tempting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and from that time
on, we all have inherited Adam's Sin. Romans 5:12 tells us that through Adam
sin entered the world, and so death was passed on to all men because "the
wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
The
nature of Sin is defined by rebellion. We all inherited this nature from birth.
For instance, no one needs to teach a child to lie, be selfish, disobey, or
defy authority. We go to great lengths to teach them honesty, sharing, and
obedience. Charles Spurgeon said, "As the
salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic, so does Sin affect every atom of our
nature. It is so sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect
it, you are deceived."[2]
Sin starts small as a thought or desire in our minds,
like that pet Boa constrictor in that tragic story. If left unchecked, it grows
larger and can destroy our lives. James 1:14-15, but each person is tempted
when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after
desire has conceived, it gives birth to Sin; and Sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death."
None of us can escape its
powerful grip. But there are always some self-righteous people (like Pharisees
and scribes) who think they were not guilty of certain things—adultery, for
example, to them, Jesus had this warning, Matt 5:27-28, "You have heard
that it was said, 'you shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone
who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his
heart." Jesus equates lusting after women to adultery itself.
In the OT, committing
adultery with someone else's wife is breaking the 7th commandment,
for which the punishment was death by stoning. But before committing adultery,
we violate the 10th commandment, which says, "You shall not covet your
neighbor's wife."
King David could not control
his lust, which led him to commit two sins of adultery and murder. II Samuel 11
& 12. We may avoid adultery, but what about the internal violation of
covetousness? Looking at a woman with lust is just as harmful as committing
adultery. Before any action occurs, it begins in our hearts. Matt 15:19,
" For out of the heart come evil thoughts murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." After addressing adultery, Jesus turned to the
equally chaotic topic of divorce, which is very common in our times as well.
II. Christ's Teaching On Divorce
Matthew 5:31-32, "It has been said, 'Anyone
who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you
that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the
victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery."
More on Jesus' view of divorce is found in Matthew 19th chapter.
Divorce is as messy and painful today as it
was during Moses and Jesus' time." God never commanded it, nor endorsed it.
In fact, He hates divorce. Malachi 2:16. The main rule in Deut 24:1-4 is that a
man can divorce his wife if he finds anything indecent in her, and send her
away from his house with a certificate of divorce. Mosaic law favored men and
victimized women.
Men at that time used this provision for
their lustful passions and punished women through divorce, causing irreparable
damage to them and their accompanying children. To prevent these unjustified
and uncontrollable behaviors of man and to protect their wives and children,
Jesus qualified and restricted it by saying, "divorce is allowed only for
sexual immorality." This is by no means Jesus' endorsement but only an
allowance to curtail divorce.
Unfortunately, the trend continues today,
happening everywhere and at all times for many trivial reasons. Whenever and
however a divorce occurs, it hurts everyone involved, especially children.
Particularly for Christians who take marital vows saying 'till death do us
part' and believe in the one flesh principle in marriage, divorce literally
tears apart the couples involved.
Like a torn fabric that can be stitched back
together, but the patch remains. People who have gone through a heart-wrenching
divorce can be healed by God and go on to live a happy life with someone else,
but the scar will remain for a lifetime. So, think twice, pray earnestly, and get
wise counsel before considering a divorce, which is only allowed for sexual
immorality.
III. Overcoming the Power of Sin.
The sins of our hearts are the main reason
for adultery and divorce to happen. We may enact any number of laws to curtail
them; they will continue to happen unless we break ourselves free from the
power of Sin. How can we overcome the power of Sin? Jesus suggested a strategy
to deal with our Sin. "I am paraphrasing, 'If your right eye or hand
causes you to sin, get rid of them. It would be better without them in heaven than
having our whole body burn in hell.
If this were taken literally, most of us
would be living with one eye and one hand. How, then, can we understand this
seemingly drastic approach? John Macarthur notes, "Jesus was not
advocating self-mutilation. He was using this graphic hyperbole to underscore
the seriousness of lust and other evil desires. Sin must be dealt with
drastically because of its deadly effects."[3]
In our struggle against the deadly sins of
our hearts and desire to overcome them, we must first repent of them and seek
God's forgiveness. Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can wage war
against Sin in our lives. But through it all, we realize that Jesus overcame Sin
and death, and in Christ we are more than conquerors; in time, we too can be totally
freed from Sin.
[1] https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/preaching/sermon-illustrations/womans-pet-boa-constrictor-causes-her-death/
8-5-2026
[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/sin-nature.html
[3] The
Macarthur Study Bible, Matthew 5:29
