KEEP YOUR PROMISES (5 OF 12)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: Matthew 5:27-37
This content is part of a series.
Keep Your Promises (5 of 12)
Series: Counter-Cultural Christianity
Keith Krell
Matthew 5:27-37
A young Bosnian couple was incredibly unhappy with their marriage. Consequently, Adnan and Sana each turned to online chat forums. Adnan chatted online at work, and Sana chatted from an Internet café. Each spouse found a willing online listener with whom they shared their marriage problems. Adnan and Sana felt loved, nurtured, encouraged, and understood. Both spouses felt that they had finally found their real soul mate. Eventually they decided to meet up with their online chat partner. They arranged to meet outside a shop and both would be carrying a single rose so they would know the other. Shock of all shocks, Adnan and Sana discovered that their perfect partner was their own spouse. (Adnan was chatting with "Sweetie" and Sana was chatting with "Prince of Joy.") Instead of reconciling and rediscovering their love, both are filing for divorce—with each accusing the other of being unfaithful.
What a sad, but true story. This Bosnian couple failed to keep their promises to one another. Their Internet affair wasn't something that just happened overnight. It was a case of "internal affairs" stemming from restless hearts. In Matthew 5:27-37, we will discover that, "Integrity is a heart matter." Jesus explains that if we are to be people of integrity we must control our hearts and our minds. He provides two means by which God's people can be people of integrity.
1. Deal radically with your passions (5:27-32). Jesus compels us to do whatever it takes to be men and women of purity. In 5:27 He states, "You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.'" Jesus quotes the seventh commandment, in Exod 20:14 (cf. Deut 5:17). Upon hearing these words, Jesus' audience must have felt pretty smug. Jesus, however, shocks His listeners by raising the bar on their ancient sexual standards. In 5:28 He declares, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a w ...
Series: Counter-Cultural Christianity
Keith Krell
Matthew 5:27-37
A young Bosnian couple was incredibly unhappy with their marriage. Consequently, Adnan and Sana each turned to online chat forums. Adnan chatted online at work, and Sana chatted from an Internet café. Each spouse found a willing online listener with whom they shared their marriage problems. Adnan and Sana felt loved, nurtured, encouraged, and understood. Both spouses felt that they had finally found their real soul mate. Eventually they decided to meet up with their online chat partner. They arranged to meet outside a shop and both would be carrying a single rose so they would know the other. Shock of all shocks, Adnan and Sana discovered that their perfect partner was their own spouse. (Adnan was chatting with "Sweetie" and Sana was chatting with "Prince of Joy.") Instead of reconciling and rediscovering their love, both are filing for divorce—with each accusing the other of being unfaithful.
What a sad, but true story. This Bosnian couple failed to keep their promises to one another. Their Internet affair wasn't something that just happened overnight. It was a case of "internal affairs" stemming from restless hearts. In Matthew 5:27-37, we will discover that, "Integrity is a heart matter." Jesus explains that if we are to be people of integrity we must control our hearts and our minds. He provides two means by which God's people can be people of integrity.
1. Deal radically with your passions (5:27-32). Jesus compels us to do whatever it takes to be men and women of purity. In 5:27 He states, "You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.'" Jesus quotes the seventh commandment, in Exod 20:14 (cf. Deut 5:17). Upon hearing these words, Jesus' audience must have felt pretty smug. Jesus, however, shocks His listeners by raising the bar on their ancient sexual standards. In 5:28 He declares, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a w ...
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