If Your Eye Offends You

I. Text: Matthew 5:27-30

II. What does Jesus not teach?

A. He is not teaching self-mutilation

B. Taken literally, it would mean that most of us would be walking around without hands or eyes for they have both contributed to temptation Some extremists might follow this literally but such are usually of an unstable mind and are not reasoning properly.

C. Paul condemned such self-abuse in Colossians 2:20-23

D. Some would deprive themselves of food that God had not condemned according to men’s commandments, 1 Timothy 4:3.

E. Paul also addressed the problem of self-abuse

F. Consider some alternate translations (Powerpoint list) Some think that by withdrawing from society and surviving on very little physical wealth—like monks and nuns—that they will become holier

G. Some think that abusing their bodies will make them holier

H. As early as the 1300’s, groups known as Flagellants arose in which men, women, and children would walk through the streets in loin cloths, bewail their sins, and scourge themselves until they bled. Some orders submitted to daily discipline, including public floggings twice a day, to become holier. Some thought their penances might provide salvation for the world. (Latourette) Even in our day, in some Spanish countries, men will crucify themselves—sometimes for days—in order to get closer to God.

I. Paul taught that this abuse is of no value—worthless—against attempts to control lusts. I am sure the adherents think they are wise, perhaps spiritually enlightened, in abusing themselves but Paul said that they are fooling themselves.

III. What did Jesus teach?

A. Teaching about adultery

B. For several sins, Jesus said that although they heard one thing was a sin, in reality, the steps leading up to the act were sin as well.

C. Murder is wrong, but hatred that leads to murder is sin as well. False oaths are condemned as well as the need to swear one’s honesty.

D. Adultery is wrong, as well as the lust that leads to it.

E. Some think that as long as they do not commit adultery, they can fantasize about committing adultery without sinning. The proliferation of soft and hard core pornography on cable or satellite television and the Internet has led some to play around adultery without committing the act. The person is as wrong for dwelling in lust as if they committed adultery.

F. Teaching about total commitment

G. Jesus teaches that eternal life is so important that if it required you destroying your hand and eye to be saved, it would be worth it. Is this idea so strange? We will amputate a gangrenous limb or remove a cancer-filled organ in order to save the body. Your salvation is so important that should you need to make drastic changes in order to go to heaven, that you would gladly make the changes.

IV. Drastic Changes

A. Jesus does not describe small adjustments to our lives but a drastic overhaul

B. Jesus said if your eye offended you, pluck it out and cast it away from you. By throwing it away, there would be no hope of finding it and trying to fix it. Your commitment is such that when you cast away the eye, you do not try to find it again. Our eternal reward is so important that nothing—neither eye nor hand—should keep it from us.

C. Do you have things you must cast away in order to go to heaven?

D. Perhaps, as we mentioned before, you have a weakness for pornographic materials; you need to cut off your supply line.

E. Some people put security software on their computers to block inappropriate sites. Many TVs and cable/satellite systems have parental codes that can lock out objectionable material. Lock this material on the computer and TV away from your kids. If you need to restrict access from your self, share the code with your spouse (you know two numbers of the code and your spouse knows the other two—no access unless you both enter your codes).You may have cancel some channels or only use the computer when someone is around—it is worth it to save your soul.

F. Maybe you have worldly friends that tempt you to disobey God.

G. You like these people and perhaps have shared many experiences. However, if those friends are leading you to sin, you may have to cut off those relationships and make stronger relationships with your brethren.

H. You might have to make drastic changes in your entertainment choices.

I. There are places that you may go that put you in unnecessary temptation; you are a fool if you think that you can always resist. Maybe you love movies but realize that many things that are not appropriate and may develop unchristian attitudes.

J. Some may have a job that brings them down spiritually.

K. Some people work in an environment in which the language, moral laxity, or unethical practices make it hard to do what is right. Maybe casting your eye means casting the extra money that you are making in order to find a job in an environment that is less vexing.

L. Do you have other destructible, yet comfortable, habits that you must cast away in order to be saved? (Earnhart, p.43-44)

M. Hebrews 12:1-4 – Put away every snare that restrains or slows you Colossians 3:1-10—Self-indulgence is of no value, but true holiness is What you give up cannot compare to what you will receive, Lk 18:28-30

V. Conclusion: Recently, a man cut off his arm with a pocketknife to save his body. Are you willing to make the hard choices to save your eternal soul?