MATTHEW 5:29-30 “THE SINFULNESS OF SIN”
A) On a sunny September day in Chicago, a stern-faced, plainly dressed man could be seen
standing still on a street corner in the busy Loop!
* As people were hurrying on their way to lunch or business, he would solemnly lift his right arm,
point to the person nearest him, and loudly say a single word: “GUILTY!”
* He would do this without any change of expression, then resume his stiff stance for a short period
and repeat the process again.
* Over and over he would raise his right arm, point to a person and pronounce them “GUILTY!”
B) A person present described the reactions of the pedestrians as almost eerie!
* It was as if they didn’t quite know how to respond.
* One man, perhaps describing how many others probably felt, turned to another person and
exclaimed: “But how did he know?”
C) Whatever became of sin?
* It’s not that sin has disappeared or that we no longer feel guilty ... In fact, most people could
respond just like the passerby in Chicago.
* Most people do have a sense of their own guilt ... They feel guilty, not because someone tells
them they’re guilty, but because they truly are guilty.
* We’re guilty because we have done wrong ... And guilt is not some dysfunctional feeling that we
should not be having ... Guilt is a warning that tells us we have violated the moral code.
D) We’re all guilty ... Jesus, here in the Sermon on the Mount, has been pointing out that not
only is the sinful deed wrong but also the sinful desire!
* So it should be clear that we have all failed to meet the standard.
* Sin, however, is largely ignored as moral evil in our day ... We do not like to use the term.
* We down-play sin ... We say that we have faults, short-comings, hang-ups, problems, mistakes,
slip-ups, or that we are dysfunctional or sick.
* We simply don’t like to use the word sin ... We don’t want to be a sinner.
E) Why is this the case? ... There are probably many reasons!
* One that comes to my mind is that sin has religious overtones.
* Normally, when we think of sin, we also think of God.
* After all, isn’t sin breaking the law of God? ... And if we break the law of God, do we not have to
answer to that God for the breaking of His law?
* Many people don’t like to think of that possibility ... Why? ... Because it’s simply easier to talk
about a failure than a sin.
F) Another reason is that in our culture, calling a thing a sin is taking matters a little too far!
* What is true yesterday may not be true today or tomorrow.
* You see, if you do away with God, truth and morality becomes what the culture currently says it
is, since there is no absolute standard by which things should be judged.
* Therefore, to call faults, failures, mistakes, slip-ups sin is just too ridiculous!
G) There is one problem with this kind of thinking ... It is wrong!
* There is a God and He takes sin quite seriously ... The Bible is clear when it calls sin a violation
of God’s law ... It is also clear when it declares that we have all committed sin.
* Even if you only committed one sin a day for an average lifetime, you would have over seventy-
thousand sins on your record, and most of us manage to commit a few more than one sin a day.
* If you went into a court of law as a multiple offender with over seventy-thousand crimes for
which you were guilty as charged, do you suppose you would be in just a little bit of trouble?
H) In the text before us, Jesus gives us a powerful and radical evaluation of sin!
* From even a casual reading of this passage, there can be no doubt that Jesus took sin seriously.
* There should be no doubt in your mind that He still takes sin seriously.
* For Him to advocate the tearing out of eyes and the cutting off of hands should not only get our
attention, but should also cause us to be alarmed at how casually we take sin.
I) Do you take sin seriously, or do you seriously sin?
* We will do one or the other ... But Jesus’ message should be clear ... We must deal seriously with
sin because sin is serious business.
* How you deal with sin should be extremely important to you because it can destroy you.
* In fact, you may be being destroyed right now.
J) So, how do you view sin? ... How do you deal with sin in your life?
* You had better deal with it or God will deal with it ... I say that for your own good!
* As we examine the text before us, we will find that Jesus was radically clear in His prescription
for dealing with sin.
* Let’s look at several responses to His words which will enable us to take sin seriously .......
(1) THE DEFINITION OF SIN!
A) If you would take sin seriously, you must know the Biblical definition of sin!
* Many Christians probably associate sin with the commission of various wrong deeds.
* And there is no doubt that these are sins.
* Sins are violations of the law of God ... But sin is more than that!
B) Sin is that which is contrary to God ... Sin is that which stands against God!
* Sins are symptoms of the disease of sin ... It is the disease of sin that causes us to commit acts of
sin ... These acts of sin we call sins.
* But Jesus made it clear that adultery, for instance, is committed in deed because of the desire of
the heart.
* In other words, adultery is committed in the heart long before it is committed in the flesh.
* Jesus said in Matt. 15:19 “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”
* It is because our hearts have become corrupt through the disease of sin that we commit sins.
C) The Bible teaches that this disease entered the human race through our original father and
mother, Adam and Eve!
* When they disobeyed God, the entire human race became corrupted by sin.
* We come into the world already corrupted and we act out this corruption by committing acts to
violate the law of God ... We commit acts of sin because we are sinful by nature.
D) The Bible speaks of people who have not come to Christ as slaves to sin!
* Only Christ can free people of that slavery ... But even after being freed, we still have the
capacity to sin ... We can still willfully violate the law of God.
* Whether as an unbeliever or a believer we violate the law of God ... Sin is still sin and it is taken
very seriously by God.
E) Let me ask you again ... Do you take sin seriously, or do you seriously sin?
* Do you understand that to violate the law of God is to sin against His holiness?
* Do you understand that it is not simply a mistake, it is a violation of divine righteousness?
* Do you understand that God calls it evil? ... Since sin is contrary to His very nature, do you
understand that God hates sin?
(2) THE DANGER OF SIN! * God hates sin because sin is hateful!
A) Sin corrupts ... Sin destroys ... And if you would take sin seriously, you must comprehend the
true danger of sin! * “Preacher, how dangerous is sin?”
* Well, according to Jesus, it is dangerous enough to cause a person to be thrown into hell.
* If that is the consequence of sin, then sin is very dangerous indeed.
B) Sin, you see, not only produces guilt, but it also pollutes us!
* It causes us to be morally unrighteous and guilty before God.
* We will have to account for our violation of God’s moral law ... And the Bible teaches that “the
wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
* This death is an eternal death ... It is an eternal condemnation referred to as hell.
C) Sin is deceptive ... It is subtle ... It perverts our very nature!
* Why would our hand cause us to stumble, or our eye cause us to sin, if sin had not corrupted
what should be a good thing to us?
* Sin, left unchecked, will destroy you from the inside out.
* God hates sin because sin destroys the people He loves.
D) This is one reason why God takes sin seriously!
* How about you? ... Do you take sin seriously, or do you seriously sin?
* If you do not see the danger of sin, you will never take sin seriously.
(3) THE DESTRUCTION OF SIN!
A) Let me say this to you today ... If you would take sin seriously, you must be committed to
the destruction of sin within your life! * In other words, destroy sin before it destroys you.
* Jesus gave a radical solution to the problem of sin ... He said to tear your eye out and cut your
hand off rather than allow them to cause you to stumble.
B) It sounds extreme doesn’t it? ... Well, it is extreme!
* Like a cancer, sin is so vile and dangerous that we must go after it with a vengeance.
* We must commit our efforts and resources to destroying it ... We must, like a cancer, cut it out,
poison it, or bombard it with lethal radiation in order to destroy it.
C) It should be obvious that Jesus, while speaking in radical terms, was not simply prescribing
the amputation of body parts in order to deal with sin!
* In that day the right eye and right hand were considered to be extremely valuable.
* It should be obvious that if you pulled out your right eye you’d still have your left eye.
* What the right eye saw, the left eye would also see.
* If you cut off your right hand, you’d still have your left hand ... What the right hand did, the left
hand could do.
D) Jesus was simply saying that sin is such serious business that if the most precious thing you
have causes you to sin, get rid of it!
* Deal radically with sin ... Deal radically with what causes you to sin ... Do not make excuses for
your sin ... And the Scripture is clear in how to deal with sin.
* In Rom. 13:14 “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to
fulfill the lusts thereof.”
* Again, He says in Rom. 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the
Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
E) We must take whatever steps are necessary in order to avoid sin!
* That doesn’t mean that we will be perfect, no one is ... But imperfection is not our standard.
* Our standard is to be like Christ.
F) Let me ask you again: Do you take sin seriously, or do you seriously sin?
* What are your pet sins? ... What are the sins that you find yourself committing over and over
again? ... Anger ... Selfishness ... Greed ... Lying ... Stealing ... Lusting ... Gossiping ...
* Back-biting, or cheating ... All could be on the list.
* Some of you today need to deal with those sins before you do anything else.
G) The Scriptural method for dealing with our sins is to repent!
* That means that we must confess our sins to God and commit ourselves to turn away from those
sins ... If you would take sin seriously, you must repent before God.
* Are you willing today, right now, to humble yourself before God and turn away from your sin?
H) If you are, God will give you the power to forsake it!
* He will give you the power to avoid sin ... He will give you the strength to restrain your desires
and to avoid feeding the flesh.
* Only He can empower you to live this way ... But you must be willing to come to Him.
I) Finally, in closing, let me say that, if you are seriously struggling with sin today, you may be
in one of two conditions .......
* You may be a Christian who has made the choice to disobey God to the extent that it has become
a habit ... If that is your situation, you need to humble yourself and repent.
* The other condition which may describe you is that you may be someone who has never cast
your life at Jesus’ feet.
* You’re not a Christian ... You have never been born again by the power of the Spirit.
J) You may have prayed before ... You may have even joined a church ... But you have never
accepted Christ and committed yourself completely to Him!
* If that describes you, then your only hope for deliverance from the power and penalty of sin is to
cast yourself completely on the mercy of God and beg for His forgiveness.
* He owes you nothing ... You deserve hell ... Every person does.
* Your only hope is to come to Him ... He is the only one who can save you.
K) He is the only one who can deliver you from the power of sin!
* You are guilty ... He can free you of guilt because He can forgive your sin.
* We must take sin seriously, because sin is serious business.
* We must take sin seriously, because God takes sin seriously.
* Psalm 97:10 says it well: “Ye that love the LORD, hate evil:”
