Sermon 2.15.26 | "Everyone Who Lusts

Jesus confronts sexual sin with stark, urgent language: lust is not a mere precursor to adultery but its interior reality. Rooted in the Sermon on the Mount, the teaching revisits the seventh and tenth commandments, showing that coveting the forbidden is already a breach of God’s law of faithfulness. Sexual desire becomes sinful when it seeks what God has set as off-limits, when longing substitutes for covenantal trust, or when fantasy tells a different story about God’s sufficiency. The text insists that God gave sex as a good gift within a committed, exclusive covenant; misused, that gift burns and destroys like fire left unchecked.

The passage refuses soft solutions. Hyperbolic commands to remove an offending eye or hand dramatize the priority of radical removal of temptation: don’t flirt with sources of sin. Where self-mutilation proved ineffectual historically, practical avoidance—removing access to pornography, changing routines, trading devices, or altering social patterns—fits the spirit of the warning. The urgency in these imperatives traces to final judgment: hell remains a real, conscious consequence for those who persistently spurn God’s rule, and Jesus warns with compassionate severity.

Yet the same framework pairs rebuke with grace. The gospel insists that desires can be forgiven and transformed; Jesus’s atoning work opens prayer for changed appetites, not mere restraint by willpower. The community and the Spirit play indispensable roles: accountability, mutual aid, and the long work of sanctification reshape imaginings and affections over time. Withdrawal from temptation proves painful, but a redirected, God-centered desire emerges as healing replaces the fevered craving. The call lands clear: take ruthless action against lust—remove the snare, seek forgiveness, and allow God’s power to alter the heart so that the appetite itself fades and worship replaces craving.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Lust equals adultery in the heart Lust is not merely a slippery slope to action; it constitutes a moral rupture already taking place interiorly. Framing lust as coveting exposes its claim: it attempts to seize what covenantal boundaries reserve, and in doing so it tells a false story about God’s sufficiency and fidelity. Confession therefore requires attention not only to behavior but to the wandering eye and imagination. [13:35]
• 2. Take ruthless action against temptation The text calls for decisive, uncompromising steps to cut off recurring pathways to sin rather than bargaining with them. Radical avoidance honors the gravity of what’s at stake and prevents the slow normalization that leads to destruction. This discipline protects the whole life by removing persistent snares. [33:58]
• 3. Remove gateways rather than limbs Practical change often means altering environments: unplug devices, swap habits, and rearrange relationships so temptation loses its foothold. Such removals respect human weakness while trusting God’s transforming work over time. Replacing sources of temptation makes spiritual progress possible and sustainable. [31:17]
• 4. Grace can reorder desires over time Because lust is sin, it can be covered and healed by Christ’s atoning work; prayer for changed affections is appropriate and powerful. The Spirit rewires appetites as forgiveness leads to progressively purer imaginings and affections, not merely momentary restraint. Long-term sanctification produces joy where craving once ruled. [22:06]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:25] - Text number and introduction
• [02:07] - Wolf metaphor: "licking the blade"
• [03:17] - Sermon on the Mount context
• [06:38] - Reading: Matthew 5:27–30
• [13:10] - Lust as coveting and heart issue
• [23:33] - Deal drastically with sin
• [31:17] - Practical: remove temptation sources
• [36:37] - Hell, grace, and transformation

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

Bible Reading
Matthew 5:27-30 (ESV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 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. 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.”

Observation questions

1. According to Matthew 5:28, what specific action does Jesus equate with the act of adultery itself?
2. What two drastic physical actions does Jesus command in verses 29-30, and what reason does He give for taking such extreme measures?
3. The sermon connected lust to the tenth commandment. What is the key difference between a wholesome appreciation of beauty and a lustful thought? [14:55]
4. What are the three main things Jesus teaches about the nature of hell, as described in the sermon? [25:04]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus uses hyperbolic language about gouging out an eye. Why would using such a shocking and graphic illustration be necessary for this particular topic?
2. The idea that our unmet desires are "signposts to be followed" rather than just problems to be solved was presented. [11:31] How does this perspective change the way we understand the root cause of lust and coveting?
3. If a person in hell were given another chance, why might they still choose to reject God, according to the picture of "weeping and gnashing of teeth"? [27:15]
4. How does understanding that lust is a sin (and not just an unfortunate desire) actually become good news for someone struggling to change? [21:04]

Application questions

1. Lust involves a desire for something that God has set as off-limits. What is one specific area or relationship in your life where you are most tempted to believe that something forbidden would be good for you?
2. Jesus calls for ruthless action to remove sources of temptation. [33:58] What is one practical, tangible "cookie" (like a device, app, routine, or relationship) that you need to remove from your life this week? What makes this difficult to do?
3. The journey away from lust involves painful withdrawal symptoms, but they don't last forever. [38:24] Where have you experienced God’s transforming power slowly changing a desire over time, and what encouragement does that give you for this struggle?
4. We are meant to walk this journey in community, locking arms and reminding each other not to "lick the blade." [38:50] Who is one safe person you can be honest with about your struggles, and what is one practical step you can take to invite them into this area of your life this month?
5. A prayer for forgiveness often focuses on actions, but we can also pray for our desires to be changed. [22:06] What would it look like this week to specifically ask God to forgive the lustful desire itself and to transform your heart so you want it less?
6. The call is to take drastic action because hell is a real consequence. [29:18] When you consider the potential eternal stakes, how does that reality motivate you to make different choices today than you did yesterday?