Jesus teaches that lust is adultery committed in the heart. In Matthew 5:27-30, He challenges the Pharisees' view of righteousness by showing that holiness isn't just about external behavior. It's about internal submission to God's will. This passage connects Jesus' teaching to the Tenth Commandment, which forbids coveting, and reveals that true righteousness requires guarding both our actions and our thought life.

In this week's episode, we explore:

• Why Jesus quotes both the Seventh and Tenth Commandments and how they work together to define righteousness
• What it means to "look at a woman with lustful intent" and how Jesus distinguishes between natural desire and sinful coveting
• The Pharisees' misunderstanding of holiness and why external obedience alone doesn't make someone righteous
• Jesus' radical imagery of cutting off your hand or tearing out your eye, and what He's really saying about the cost of discipleship
• The difference between stumbling into sin and being enslaved by it, and how the Holy Spirit changes our hearts over time
• Paul's reflection in Romans 7 on how the Tenth Commandment exposed his own sinful nature and need for a Savior
• What regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit look like in the life of a believer who struggles with sexual temptation
• How to respond when you fail and why repentance, not perfection, is the mark of genuine faith

After listening to this episode, you'll understand that Jesus isn't adding new rules to the Old Testament. He's revealing what was always there. You'll see why righteousness requires more than outward compliance and how God's grace meets us in our struggle with sin. Most importantly, you'll learn how to guard your heart, submit your sexuality to God's boundaries, and trust that the Holy Spirit is at work transforming you from the inside out.

Series: Matthew’s Gospel 1-7: Behold, the King!

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