Sermon for Sunday, February 16th, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Deu 22:22-24 ESV] 22 “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. 23 “If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
New Testament Reading:
[1Jo 3:11-18 ESV] 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
Gospel Reading:
[Mar 9:42-50 ESV] 42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 44 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 46 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Sermon Text:
[Mat 5:21-30 ESV] 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 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. 30 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.
Introduction
We’ve got a doozy of a passage here today.
The subject is murder, adultery, anger, and lust.
More broadly, the subject is sin,
just how badly we are IN IT,
how dangerous it is,
and what we must do in light of that sin.
I’ve title the sermon this morning “Into the Depths.”
There is a certain nautical, oceanic, reference in my mind.
The depths of the ocean are a dangerous, unforgiving place.
We dare not go there but with a submarine of the greatest engineering.
In those depths of the ocean, without a submarine, there is nothing but death for us.
But even more than a watery reference,
I call this sermon “Into the depths” as we recognize, from the words of Christ, just how deep into sin we all are, and just how dangerous that is to us, which but for our Savior Jesus Christ leads us to the very depths of hell.
We here of these depths of sin in the 130th Psalm.
The author is not listed. It could David. But could be any believer; any who cries out to the Lord.
[Psa 130:1 ESV] 1 A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
[REPEAT]
[Psa 130:1 ESV] 1 A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
This is a Psalm that historically been read at funerals, when we are deepest in despair and in recognition of the reality of death. A death that is due to sin.
I came upon this Psalm in my reading earlier this week. And the book said that this Psalm is known by its Latin name “De Profundis.” Those are the first words of it in Latin.
And that struck a bell in my brain.
“De Profundis” is what the Priest said at a funeral on the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson!
And so beautiful (and mysterious) did this sound to me, that I memorize his line.
De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
Domine exaudi vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuae intendentes
in vocem deprecationis meae.
Some 25 years later now I finally know what the priest was saying!
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!”
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy.”
This Pslamist is a man who knew the depth of his sin.
I. The Depth of Sin.
Now, in our passage from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, we also learn about the depth of our sin.
Jesus here twice says “You have heard it said.”
Jesus is not deprecating the Old Testament.
He is only opposing the Pharisaical understanding of it.
He’s not against the Old Testament,
but he is certainly showing his power to comment on it in such a way as saying “But I say to you.”
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
It is not just murderers and adulterers who are guilty.
But rather, because God is a Holy God, ANY sin keeps us away from God.
And anger, and lust, bring the same punishment due to murderers and adulterers.
This is not to say that all sins are bad in the same degree.
The Westminster Confession says that some sins are more heinous than others.
Yet, even though some sins are worse, ALL (and any) sin causes and brings condemnation and damnation.
In the Old Testament, murderers and adulterers were to be stoned to death.
Sin is serious.
And Christ is pointing out that it is not only our OUTWARD actions that are sinful, but our inward thoughts.
And these inwards sins put us as must in danger of hell as do our outward sins.
Such is the depth of our sin.
A. The Sin of Murder
No one doubts that murder is evil and wrong. Murder is a sin.
It is the 6th of the 10 commandments.
[Exo 20:13 ESV] 13 “You shall not murder.
Even from the beginning when Cain killed Abel, murder has been the most serious sin; the destruction of the pinnacle of God’s creation; man who was created in God’s very image and likeness.
Usually when Jesus quotes the Scripture he says “it is written” or asks “have you not read?” But here he says “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
Something written of God is the powerful, unchanged, authoritative word of God.
Now when Jesus says “you have heard that it was said” he seems not to be referring to the written word exactly (which does indeed have those words) but to the Pharisaical speaking of the passage without any understanding of the extent of the commandment.
The 6th commandment explicitly condemns murder.
But it implies so much more.
Here is what our Shorter Catechism says:
Q. 68. What is required in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life, and the life of others.
Q. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.
With authority Jesus now, being himself the Lawgiver and Judge, gives the fuller sense of the commandment as he extends it to forbidding not only murder but even anger at your brother.
Oh, the depths of sin that we are in. Its not enough to say with the Pharisees, “I’ve never killed anyone.” Now we have the commandment against anger. And who can say they’ve never been angry! Only liars can say that; and then you have another sin to contend with!
B. The Sin of Anger
So murder is against the command of God.
And so, as Jesus says, anger against your brother is a sin.
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment
Here it is clear that Jesus puts his authority over the Pharisees. Indeed, He is God.
Matthew Henry notes that the Jewish teachers had the fundamental error of thinking the divine law prohibited only the sinful act, not the sinful thought.
But Jesus says that anger (which is the thought that leads to the action of murder) is itself a sin.
Oh the depths of sin.
Another commentator says of anger, “When it is without any good end aimed at, merely to show our authority, to gratify a brutish passion, to let people know our resentments, and excite ourselves to revenge, then it is in vain, it is to do hurt.”
You might feel good for a moment when you get angry. But it is often with selfish ambitions behind it. I noted once recently that we rarely is every have “righteous anger” like Jesus when he turned over the tables of the moneychangers. Our anger is sinful, with selfish ends in view.
We are deep in sin.
Angry at every little thing that doesn’t go our way.
And angry at everyone who doesn’t live according to our expectations.
Sometimes angry for angriness sake; placing ourselves as judge of all things.
This is sin, all of it.
And for sin, we are liable to judgment.
And, Jesus say, whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
No surprise then that Paul later says “All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.”
Murder is evil. So is anger. And now there is adultery.
C. The Sin of Adultery
While modern man might agree that murder is wrong, many have no qualms with adultery.
Our society is a throwaway culture.
Just as people buy clothes and electronics that last a short while and are discarded,
so they think marriages are the same way.
Over the years I’ve read countless forums online where a person will contend “my spouse did this or that thing which I don’t like.” And almost never do people advocate forgiveness and reconciliation. So often, they say “get a divorce.” “Lawyer up.”
The same “cheapness” of marriage makes people think adultery is ok.
And if they are against adultery in marriage, they don’t think twice about the adultery of “serial monogamy.”
Look at the celebrities, for example. Almost any time you read about a celebrity you’ll find they have had 3 or 4 marriages.
That is adultery. So Jesus says elsewhere.
[Mat 5:32b ESV] whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
But we know that adultery is evil.
For one, it is the 7th of the 10 commandments.
[Exo 20:14 ESV] 14 “You shall not commit adultery.
And then, consider this: If in a marriage “two become one flesh” then adultery which can to divorce is a tearing apart of that one flesh.
We see the devastating impact in our society. While murder is somewhat uncommon, adultery is everywhere. And its impact on individuals and families is devastating.
Jesus’s hearer, and the Pharisees as well, understood that and agree – adultery is sinful.
D. The Sin of Lust
But now again Jesus extents the conversation to show just how deep in sin we are.
“So you haven’t committed adultery? … What if lust equally makes you guilty before the Lord?”
28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Lust does not make you legally guilty, but morally guilty.
The Pharisees would have it that you can lust all you want, but as long as you don’t follow through with the sinful act you are ok. Jesus corrects that false notice, that false literalistic reading of the commandment and explains that our minds themselves are in sin.
Most hopefully can say they’ve never committed adultery, but none can honestly say they’ve never had sinful desires for another person.
And our Catechism explains more of the requirements:
Q. 71. What is required in the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech and behavior.
Q. 72.What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?
A. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words and actions.
So who can possibly stand?
Again from Psalm 130:
[Psa 130:3-4 ESV] 3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
And Jesus tells us
Matthew 5:48 – be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.
II. The Deep Deep Love of Jesus
All this leads to the grand conclusion … we’re in trouble. Deep trouble.
We need to recognize our sin. Recognize our sinful state.
Don’t think that you are any better than the murderer or the adulterer.
Recognize that you are hopeless except for the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.
That’s where we land after hearing Jesus’s statement: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Where do we get that righteousness?
How do we get that righteousness?
Only as a gift of grace from God who sent His Son to take the punishment for us.
We recognize the depth of our sin.
But even more we have the Deep Deep Love of Jesus.
WE ARE IN THE DEPTH OF SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES, BUT WE HAVE THE DEEP DEEP LOVE OF JESUS which covers over that sin.
I love that song.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!
And not only are we to embrace this deep love of God through Faith, but we are called to fight against sin; to remove that sin which has first caused the condemnation from which we are saved.
Like Jesus says to the women caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more.”
So he says now in the Sermon on the Mount:
Be reconciled to your brother, so as not to be angry.
And cut off that sin which draws you to hell.
Praise the Lord for our salvation,
but by all means, do not continue in sin, but fight against it.
Application: There is hope in the love of God for us.
I find great comfort in this statement of the confession:
WCF 15:4 As there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation; so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent.
So if you are guilty of the biggest sins, know that statement.
And if you are guilty of the sins of the mind, know it still.
Though there is an impossible standard of righteousness asked of us, Jesus Christ lived out that perfect life and took upon himself the guilt and punishment of our sin. That is the Gospel. The forgiveness of sins.
Conclusion: The Gospel of Psalm 130
And that Gospel is present in what we haven’t yet read of Psalm 130.
The Psalmist recognized the depth of his sin. And he recognized that none can stand before the Lord
But then he said this:
4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Praise the Lord, our redeemer. Let us pray.