Jesus Takes Sin Seriously

A SERMON BASED ON Matthew 5:21-37

What do we make of sections of Scripture like this one from Matthew? In it Jesus, who has such a forgiving heart for mankind, lays down the law. He places the standard by which we live so high that we can’t help notice that we don’t measure up to it. He takes the general concept of sin seriously, but he also takes our individual sins seriously. This thought is enough to make us want to crawl in a hole and hide. But Jesus doesn’t leave it there. He says, “I take sin seriously FOR YOU.”