Fundamental transformation ... of the heart - Greg Laurie - http://www.wnd.com/2015/05/fundamental-transformation-of-the-heart/
Pastor Greg Laurie applies Sermon on the Mount to anger, hatred, lust
A man who had a problem with overeating was responsible for picking up the doughnuts for his coworkers. The problem was that by the time he arrived at work, four of the five boxes would be empty. He finally said, "I can't do this anymore. I have to stay away from there because I cannot resist the temptation."
Five weeks passed, and he thought that for old time's sake he would cruise by the bakery. He then prayed, "Lord, if you want me to get some of these incredible doughnuts, I pray that you will open up a parking space right in front." As he later explained to his coworkers, "Sure enough, after eight times around the block, a space opened!"
That is how we are with temptation. We'll say that we had no control, or the devil tempted us. But far too often, we unnecessarily put ourselves in the way of temptation. And as though it weren't bad enough already, we go out of our way to expose ourselves to temptation. It reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw: "Lead me not into temptation. I can find it myself."
Each of us has given in to temptation in some way, shape, or form. We have all lost our tempers. We have all envied others. We have all had hatred in our hearts for someone. We have all had impure thoughts. We all know what it is like to be tempted.
Maybe you've thought that if you could somehow isolate yourself from all outward temptation, you would then be free of it. That is not the case. The Bible clearly teaches that the problem is inside of us. Where there is no desire on the inside, there is no temptation on the outside. James addressed the root of the problem when he wrote, "Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death" (James 1:14-15 NLT).
That is what Jesus dealt with in his Sermon on the Mount. He got to the heart of the matter. And the heart of the matter is a matter of the heart:
"You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. ...
"You have heard the commandment that says, 'You must not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28)
Here Jesus dealt with three areas of sin that are widespread in our culture today: anger, hatred and lust. We have all dealt with these in some way, shape, or form. The emphasis here is that Christ is dealing with the heart. He is essentially saying that if our hearts and attitudes are right, then our actions will be right.
Sin deceives us into thinking that if we haven't done the actual deed, then we are really OK: As long as I haven't killed a person, it is all right to hate him and wish he were dead. Sin deceives us into thinking that as long as we haven't committed adultery with someone, it is all right to fill our minds with lustful thoughts. But Jesus says no, the heart is important.
The real question to ask ourselves is why we haven't committed that sin. Is it a lack of bravado? Is it the fear of being caught? If you are just waiting for the opportune time, then it is only a matter of time until you actually do it. That is why you want to nip that sin in the bud and not let it fill your heart.
We need to have our hearts changed to the extent that we are not longing for those sins anymore. It doesn't mean that we won't be tempted by them. (The Bible teaches that we all will be tempted.) But we won't desire them or be thinking about them. God wants to change our hearts.
Jesus addressed that pharisaical trait when he showed the Pharisees that they were always observing the letter of the law yet missing the point. That is why he said that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 5:20). Anger is murder in the heart. Lust is adultery in the heart. And I have found that many times, those who are the most critical often are guilty of something far worse in their own lives.
Jesus was saying don't think you are off the hook just because you don't kill someone. If you have anger toward them, if you hate them, if you speak unkindly about them or spread rumors about them, that is a sin before God.
The best antidote to sin is having a heart that is passionate toward God. It comes back to the Sermon on the Mount. If your heart is committed to following Christ, if your primary reason for living is to glorify God, it doesn't mean that you will be temptation-proof. But it does mean that you will be so focused on moving forward that you will not be moving backward. When you lose that focus, when you lower your guard, and when the things of God are not as important to you as they were before, then you will become a sitting duck.
As we look at our own lives, we should ask ourselves whether there is something we are doing that will feed the fire of lust, envy, or hatred. We need to ask ourselves periodically whether the movies we watch, the songs we listen to, the books we read and the things we do are feeding us spiritually and helping us grow stronger. If something is a detriment to us spiritually, then we must take whatever steps necessary to remove it.
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