And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.
3 sermons cite this verse
… And if your right eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It's better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body is thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, to fall into sin, chop it off and throw it away. It's better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body go into hell. All right. So listen, this again seems, you know, I can't speak for you, but I can just say over the course of my life, you know, did you ever find an impulse? You found yourself drawn to somebody who wasn't your mate? That's just, I mean, if you never had that happen, you're probably not alive. You don't have a pulse. But for most of us, this is going to happen somewhere along the way. And what do you do with this? And what Jesus is saying, like everybody, you know, most people could say, okay, I haven't had an affair. I mean, that's not true for everybody. I can't remember the statistics, but there's like 20% of Americans who confess to having an affair, an actual literal affair somewhere along the way. But for many people, maybe it's 30%. I don't remember the number, but you know, most of us, I've never cheated on Levon, not physically, right? But have thoughts come into my mind every once in a while. Not lately, but you know, there are places …
a reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 5, verses 17 through 37. Jesus said to his disciples, Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish, but to fulfill. Amen. I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, you shall not kill, and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. …
It is wonderful to be back at Duke Chapel. I was beginning to think that I was not going to be able to get back. Over the last few years, I've been scheduled several times to preach here on Sunday, but it was always one of those February weekends when the snowflakes flew, but the airlines didn't, and I wasn't able to get here. I began to fret a little bit that they were inviting me in February, confident that the weather would wipe me off the schedule. But the weather has held this weekend, and the greetings and hospitality have been very warm indeed, and it's always a joy to be in worship with you here. Will you join me in prayer? O God, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable to you, O God, our strength and our redeemer. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. On a warm April night in Memphis, Tennessee, nearly 52 years ago now, Dr. Martin Luther King, even though he did not know it at the time, gave what was his last speech. …