Stay Faithful
The Ten Commandments • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 11 viewsNotes
Transcript
Purpose of the Ten Commandments
Today’s topic can be quite sensitive. Some of you may have experienced adultery in marriage or may have been the ones who committed it.
Please know that I am not trying to reopen old wounds, but we must consider what God’s word says on the subject.
I will do my best to keep everything I say this morning PG, but it is not a PG subject.
With all that said, lets look at today’s passage.
“You shall not commit adultery.
Stats:
The United States tops the world in cheating in relationships, with an estimated 71% admitting to cheating.
Texas, Alabama, and Nebraska have the highest totals
31% of affairs happen in the workplace
The definition of cheating varies significantly
Some would say any bonding outside a monogamous relationship is cheating, which would include everything from emotional affairs to physical affairs.
On the extreme other side, 18.6% of European men do not believe intercourse to be cheating.
Adultery is so common in today’s society that it is even celebrated. There is a greeting card company that specializes in cards you can send to the person with whom you are being unfaithful.
TV shows trivialize it and present it as normal, acceptable, and something to be expected.
Many marriages are now referred to as open marriages, where partners remain married but are allowed to explore sexual relationships with others.
R. Albert Mohler states, “A culture that embraces adultery, accepts within itself a poison pill for every other relationship, a toxic substance that threatens every other commitment. Adultery is primal in its attack upon all that is honorable and good and true and faithful, unraveling precious bonds and commitments”
Adultery is a sin! Period!
Adultery is not defined as a sin by society; instead, it is defined by God, a truth highlighted by its presence in the Ten Commandments.
The Law and Adultery
The Law and Adultery
The Old Testament law for those who committed adultery imposed the death penalty.
‘If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
“If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.
If it is not clear yet, let me clarify.
No one is permitted to have sex with any married individual except their spouse, and no married individual is allowed to engage in sexual relations with anyone other than their spouse.
Why is Adultery so bad in God’s eyes?
Why is Adultery so bad in God’s eyes?
Marriage is the first institution created by God. It was established before governments, corporations, and even the church!
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Adultery often dissolves the commitment of marriage between a man and a woman.
In the ancient world, adultery was referred to as “the great sin.”
Marriage is fundamental to the creation order and to human society; husbands and wives can hardly function as one flesh if they do not trust one another.
Sexual relations are the fundamental seal of a marriage covenant, and adultery undermines the emotional and psychological intimacy that uniquely links adult men and women within marriage.
Adultery is a sin against God
Adultery is a sin against God
Pay attention to what Joseph says to Potiphar’s wife when she attempts to seduce him.
“There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?”
David, following his transgression with Bathsheba
Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Adultery is the social equivalent of the religious crime of having other gods, as discussed in the First Commandment. Scripture reminds us that God is a jealous God, and we should not have any gods but Him. The same principle applies to marriage; there should be no one other than your spouse.
Adultery is more than just physical actions
Adultery is more than just physical actions
Similar to the sixth commandment regarding murder, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount offers us insight into the root cause of adultery in Matthew 5.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’;
but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there are approximately 1.5 million deer-related auto accidents each year.
Can anyone guess which month has the highest value?
It’s November, right at the height of rutting (mating season).
These bucks are so driven by their instincts that it often leads to their deaths.
What does Jesus mean when He talks about lust?
Jesus teaches that plotting and planning adultery is equivalent to committing adultery.
This new covenant is not only about your physical actions, but also about what occurs in the heart.
Put simply:
The commandment stands against adultery in our eyes, minds, and imaginations. Lust is adultery.
Adultery Defined
Adultery Defined
Adultery is any mental, emotional, or physical satisfaction derived from another person who is not your spouse, which should only come from your spouse.
• No nudity permitted except for that of your spouse.
• No intimate conversations outside of your spouse.
Avoid spending time alone with someone of the opposite sex
Preventative Maintenance
Preventative Maintenance
There is a song by a Christian group called Casting Crowns titled “Slow Fade.”
Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands
As darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you
That are sure to follow
It's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black and white have turned to grey
And thoughts invade, choices made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade
It's a slow fade
The highest priority in Marriage is not child to parent or parent to child. It is man to wife.
The highest priority in Marriage is not child to parent or parent to child. It is man to wife.
Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
• The grass isn't greener on the other side!
• If your grass is turning brown and brittle, give it some water! Nurture it!
• Return to the fundamentals
• Begin dating her/him
• Pay attention to them
• Address their emotional and physical needs
Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
• You need to compliment them often so that when others do it, they say, "Yeah, I know. That is what my wife or husband said to me.”
• Spend time together
2. Keep your eyes, minds, and hearts pure!
“I have made a covenant with my eyes;”
You should not be looking at any form of nudity other than that of your spouse.
Pornography, TV shows, and movies with nudity are sinful; they constitute adultery. Stop it!
In the real world, this is called voyeurism. You get arrested for doing that.
Stay away from reading material that leads your mind to wander towards lustful thoughts!
3. Run Away!
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
The Bible instructs us to resist the Devil but to flee from immorality!
Why does it say "Flee"? Because if you hesitate, you will fail.
James shares the outcome of not fleeing.
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
4. Adultery is a sin against God
4. Adultery is a sin against God
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
When we sin sexually, we are making the Holy Spirit and Jesus complicit in that sin.
I recognize that we all have, at some point, committed adultery. However, I want to remind you that you don’t have to remain stuck in that place.
Yes! There are always real-life ramifications for sin, but there is also forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:7 reminds us that as believers, we are redeemed and forgiven.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
John 1:9 reminds us to confess our sins, while Psalms 103:12 reminds us that God has removed our sins from us.
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
When God takes away our sins, He forgets them. In other words, He no longer holds our sins against us.
“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.
If you have struggled with adultery as defined by God’s word, consider applying the scripture verses we just read.
1. If you have confessed it, understand that you are forgiven.
2. Understand that God has forgotten your sins and will not hold them against you.
3. Satan will attempt to turn them against you, but he has no power to do so unless we grant him that power.
4. If you are struggling with guilt, refer to Points 1 and 2.
Let’s Pray
