7th Commandment

Introduction

C.S. Lewis wrote a book called the Screwtape Letters, in which Screwtape, a senior devil, is mentoring and his dear nephew Wormwood on how to destroy men, who he calls ‘patients’ and how to best serve their father, Satan, in his war against the enemy The triune God.

Screwtape in his 18th letter says this:

The Enemy’s demand on humans takes the form of a dilemma; either complete abstinence or unmitigated monogamy. Ever since our Father’s first great victory, we have rendered the former very difficult to them. The latter, for the last few centuries, we have been closing up as a way of escape. We have done this through the poets and novelists by persuading the humans that a curious, and usually shortlived, experience which they call ‘being in love’ is the only respectable ground for marriage; that marriage can, and ought to, render this excitement permanent; and that a marriage which does not do so is no longer binding. This idea is our parody of an idea that came from the Enemy.

In other words, the humans are to be encouraged to regard as the basis for marriage a highly-coloured and distorted version of something the Enemy really promises as its result. Two advantages follow. In the first place, humans who have not the gift of continence can be deterred from seeking marriage as a solution because they do not find themselves ‘in love’, and, thanks to us, the idea of marrying with any other motive seems to them low and cynical. Yes, they think that. They regard the intention of loyalty to a partnership for mutual help, for the preservation of chastity, and for the transmission of life, as something lower than a storm of emotion. (Don’t neglect to make your man think the marriage-service very offensive.) In the second place any sexual infatuation whatever, so long as it intends marriage, will be regarded as ‘love’, and ‘love’ will be held to excuse a man from all the guilt, and to protect him from all the consequences, of marrying a heathen, a fool, or a wanton. But more of this in my next, Your affectionate uncle Screwtape

I didn’t read the whole letter, we don’t have the time, but you can see that The devil and his ilk have been messing with purity and Chasity for all time.

They’ve made love into a seeking your own good, a competition, into a feeling, into the increase of self-fulfillment, or self care, and removed the ‘one another’ aspect of it all together. It went my Matt:22:39

Matthew 22:39 ESV

39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

to Love your-self at all costs.

In the first place our warped natures, the devils who tempt us, and all the contemporary propaganda for lust, combine to make us feel that the desires we are resisting are so ‘natural’, so ‘healthy’, and so reasonable, that it is almost perverse and abnormal to resist them. Poster after poster, film after film, novel after novel, associate the idea of sexual indulgence with the ideas of health, normality, youth, frankness, and good humour. Now this association is a lie.

God created Marriage, Sex, love he defines it, his will for us is His glory and our good. 1 Thess. 4:3-5

1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 ESV

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

The text

For the sake of Brevity I’m only going to read the second table today.

Deuteronomy 5:17–21 ESV

17 “ ‘You shall not murder. 18 “ ‘And you shall not commit adultery. 19 “ ‘And you shall not steal. 20 “ ‘And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 21 “ ‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

Big Idea

This is what I want you to know today.

Be Killing your Sin lest Sin kill you. - John Owen

Mortify your sin

How do you Kill your Sin?

This is called mortification, So what is mortification? (John) Owen argues that mortification is a habitual, successful weakening of sin that involves constant warfare and contention against the flesh.

Jump with me to Romans

Romans 8:13 (ESV)

...but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Outline of this verse

Works of John Owen: Volume 6 Chapter 1: Mortification of Sin in Believers, Etc

First, A duty prescribed: “Mortify the deeds of the body.”

Secondly, The persons are denoted to whom it is prescribed: “Ye,”—“if ye mortify.”

Thirdly, There is in them a promise annexed to that duty: “Ye shall live.”

Fourthly, The cause or means of the performance of this duty,—the Spirit: “If ye through the Spirit.”

Fifthly, The conditionality of the whole proposition, wherein duty, means, and promise are contained: “If ye,” etc.

Who is this addressed to?

This is to the believer. You are called to do this action, you can see that it is an “if” statement. Paul knows that you have some action and responsibility to flee sin daily. In the case wea re talking about today when your drawn into the lusts of the flesh you must choose to crucify them. As a Christian you for the first time in your life have free will, prior to salvation you had no real free will you where enslaved to sin, flesh, and the devil. Your every action was born from a place of death before salvation. As opposed to the philosphers the Christian understanding of free will is the ability to choose the Good. Our hearts desire sin and evil, God by bring us out of the grave like Lazerous makes us able to finally choose the truly good.

So this is written to you born again Christian. You couldn’t do this unless you are spiritually alive.

Mortifying the Deeds of the Body

These are the works that must be killed

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Works of John Owen: Volume 6 Chapter 1: Mortification of Sin in Believers, Etc

To mortify. Εἰ θανατοῦτε,—“If ye put to death;” a metaphorical expression, taken from the putting of any living thing to death. To kill a man, or any other living thing, is to take away the principle of all his strength, vigour, and power, so that he cannot act or exert, or put forth any proper actings of his own; so it is in this case. Indwelling sin is compared to a person, a living person, called “the old man,” with his faculties, and properties, his wisdom, craft, subtlety, strength; this, says the apostle, must be killed, put to death, mortified, that is, have its power, life, vigour, and strength, to produce its effects, taken away by the Spirit. It is, indeed, meritoriously, and by way of example, utterly mortified and slain by the cross of Christ; and the “old man” is thence said to be “crucified with Christ,”

Your to daily put to death the deeds of the body

This is why the scripture records Rom 6:6-8

Romans 6:6–8 ESV

6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

What God is doing, by the Spirit

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

This is more then once saved always saved, This is God keeping you actively to himself. God strives after you he doesn’t merely put you on a shelf for latter use. When you’re in sin God is actively working on you as we speak. I’m not talking about a person who said a prayer then walked away and has yet to come back. I’ve seen that time and again, youth camp is filled with that. I’m talking about you may have a moment, but God is actively winning you back. I’ve heard stories of people who have professed Christ at a young age lived a life of destruction and 30 years later came back to faith. I generally couch that as new faith.

I’m talking about Peter denying Christ only to be restored by him days later.

Matthew 26:34 ESV

34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

Jesus restored him

John 21:15–17 ESV

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

When your putting sin to death know that God is restoring you like Peter

The Promise received by doing this: Life

Works of John Owen: Volume 6 Chapter 1: Mortification of Sin in Believers, Etc

Now, perhaps the word may not only intend eternal life, but also the spiritual life in Christ, which here we have; not as to the essence and being of it, which is already enjoyed by believers, but as to the joy, comfort, and vigour of it: as the apostle says in another case, “Now I live, if ye stand fast,” 1 Thess. 3:8;—“Now my life will do me good; I shall have joy and comfort with my life;”—“Ye shall live, lead a good, vigorous, comfortable, spiritual life whilst you are here, and obtain eternal life hereafter.”

Supposing what was said before of the connection between mortification and eternal life, as of means and end, I shall add only, as a second motive to the duty prescribed, that,—

The vigour, and power, and comfort of our spiritual life depends on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh.

Applications

Avoid Idleness

This was mentioned from Saint Augustine, John Calvin, Herman Bavinck, John Mac. We are talking the entirety of church history everyone who talks about lust and adultery and fornication mentions to avoid idleness also known as sloth as it is a doorway to temptation to sin.

This comes from the Events in 2 Samuel 11:1-5

2 Samuel 11:1–5 ESV

1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

David should have been at war! It was the time to war and as a king he should have been doing that. A man at war is a man that won’t give into sexual temptation. Yet we see what happens in the verse (2) He was being idle when he had a job to do. So like Cain and Able

Genesis 4:7 ESV

7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Sin was at David’s door wanting to rule over him. Idleness give sin opportunity to rule over you. So what do you do then? Keep moving, keep building, keep loving, keep on.

Church Father Clement said this

300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church Avoid Too Much Food and Too Much Sleep

The hiccupping of those who are loaded with wine, and the snortings of those who are stuffed with food, and the snoring rolled in the bed-clothes, and the rumblings of pained stomachs, cover over the clear-seeing eye of the soul, by filling the mind with ten thousand fantasies. And the cause is too much food, which drags the rational part of man down to a condition of stupidity. For much sleep brings advantage neither to our bodies nor our souls; nor is it suitable at all to those processes which have truth for their object, although agreeable to nature.

CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA

It seems we are to keep busy or our fullness or sleepiness our idleness will cover up our eyes. America is engorged on her success, the American Church is very wealthy, fat, and sleepy that has made us Idle made us slothful. God sent us a blessing when he let Satan try to shut down the churches, wake up oh sleepers. Mortify your comforts, you slothfulness and put on the armor of God! What are your moments owned by? Who truly owns your time? You or Christ?

A Great marriage is a Great Testimony

The Ten Commandments: A Guide to the Perfect Law of Liberty Commandment VII: “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery”

Sexual faithfulness preaches the gospel. When a husband and wife are faithful to p 91 one another, sexually and otherwise, they become a created symbol of the covenant God who keeps his vows to Israel and the new Israel. By keeping the Seventh Word, we dramatize the good news of Jesus, the Bridegroom of the church, who gives himself in utter fidelity to and for his Bride.

Flee Sin

You will not be perfect on this side of heaven, but you must contend daily with the sin in your heart.

The Bible warns this if you don’t

Psalm 31:10 ESV

10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

It breaks the bones of your soul. You can see this in the eyes of a person who has done and revealled in much sin.

Psalm 38:3–5 ESV

3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,

It makes you weak, sick, and ready to die.

The work of the Holy Spirit

Produces Spiritual gifts

Galatians 5:22–25 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

When in the Spirit you produce and God himself is killing your sin.

The Holy Spirit renews you Titus 3:5

Titus 3:5 ESV

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

when your wearied God is renewing you.

How you mortify, Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your sin, he will be specific.

put it before God in prayer asking for forgiveness.

Repeat as it comes back, you are fighting your old nature.

And before all, be a Christian. You can’t change your own nature only God can, don’t be decived. Satan will take one sin replace it with another and add more in on top!

GIVE THE gospel