Ten - Part 8 [Notes]

July 21st, 2024

The Ten Commandments are probably the best-known list of "rules" ever recorded, but there is so much more to these commands than meets the eye; they provide a framework for understanding who God is and what it means to be a holy nation. Join us for "Ten," and together, we will discover just how amazing the gift of the Ten Commandments is!

Takeaway: Don’t play with fire.

Do not commit adultery.
– Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18 (HCSB)

Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? Can a man walk on burning coals without scorching his feet?
– Proverbs 6:27-28 (HCSB)

Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.
– Proverbs 6:25 (HCSB)

Can a man embrace fire and his clothes not be burned? Can a man walk on burning coals without scorching his feet?
– Proverbs 6:27-28 (HCSB)

You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to 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 the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!
– Matthew 5:27-30

Don’t play with fire.

Realize the danger associated with lust.

Jesus is not saying that lustful desires are identical to lustful deeds, and therefore a person might just as well go ahead and commit adultery. The desire and the deed are not identical, but, spiritually speaking, they are equivalent.
– Wiersbe

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to 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 the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!
– Matthew 5:29-30 (HCSB)

“You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
– Matthew 5:27-28 (HCSB)

The man Jesus described looked at the woman for the purpose of feeding his inner sensual appetites as a substitute for the act. It was not accidental; it was planned.
– Warren Wiersbe

Realize the danger associated with lust.
Resolve to deal decisively with impure thoughts.

Cutting off or gouging out the offending part is a way of saying that Jesus’ disciples must deal radically with sin.
– D.A. Carson

I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look at a young woman?
– Job 31:1 (HCSB)

Realize the danger associated with lust.
Resolve to deal decisively with impure thoughts.
Remove things that feed lustful desires.

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away… And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
– Matthew 5:29a, 30a (HCSB)

Without wood, fire goes out…
– Proverbs 26:20a (HCSB)

Replace ungodly thoughts with godly ones.

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable —if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things
– Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)

Rely on the Holy Spirit’s power.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity…
– Galatians 5:19 (HCSB)

I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
– Galatians 5:16 (HCSB)

Don’t play with fire.

Realize the danger associated with lust
Resolve to deal decisively with impure thoughts
Remove things that feed lustful desires
Replace ungodly thoughts with godly ones
Rely on the Holy Spirit’s power.

Discussion Questions //

Do you think it is harder these days to maintain sexual purity in our thoughts and actions compared with previous generations? Explain your answer. What are some things that our generation has to deal with that make it harder to maintain sexual purity?
Read Matthew 5:27-30, 1 Corinthians 6:18-19, 1 Corinthians 10:8 and Galatians 5:16-17. Why do you think lust, sexual impurity and immorality are such a big deal? What are some of the consequences we may face if we don’t deal with the lust in our hearts?
Read Galatians 5:16-25. What are some lessons we learn from these verses to help us overcome fleshly desires in our lives?
Read Philippians 4:8. What are some examples of good thoughts we can meditate upon to replace ungodly ones?
How might you apply today’s lesson to your life?

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