The Seventh Commandment: You Shall Not Commit Adultery

Alexander hong

Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

0 ratings

· 731 views

Notes

Transcript

Handout

Sermon Tone Analysis

Emotion

Language

Social

View more →

Introduction

I want to begin this morning with a question.

Which sin has crippled an entire generation of men and has prevented them from serving Christ?

Which sin has Satan used to accuse Christians of their guilty consciences and has left Christians feeling shameful?

Which sin has broke more hearts than we can number and has left a whole generation disillusioned with marriage?

Which sin has brought division in marriages, in families, and in churches?

Which sin has made Christians isolated, detached, and withdrawn from the church community?

Which sin has made people delay marriage, divided marriages, and has broken marriages?

Which sin has aborted children, left orphaned children, enslaved children, and prostituted children?

Which sin has caused pastors to step down from ministry causing hurt to families and churches?

Which sin has caused non-Christians to turn away from the hypocrisy of Christians and turn to a different lifestyle and community?

The sin I want to address this morning is the sin of sexual immorality. Today we will be looking at the seventh commandment which says:

Scripture Reading:

Exodus 20:14 ESV

“You shall not commit adultery.

And as we see today, the commandment not to commit adultery extends to all forms of sexual immorality.

Recap

If the sixth commandment dealt with the preservation of human life, the seventh commandment deals with the preservation and sanctity of human marriage.

I don’t have to give you statistics or articles proving the point that sex is a real problem with our society. It is so much of a problem that we as a culture redefine human identity according to sexual identity with the sexual revolution we are experiencing.

Everyone has been affected or will be affected regarding the sexual brokenness we see all around us.

This is why the seventh commandment not only commands us to refrain from sexual activity with someone who is not our spouse, but it positively preserves the dignity and value of human marriage in our society because the family is the basic building block of society.

If you break marriages, you break families. And if you break families, you break societies.

I believe this was Satan’s plan from the beginning because Satan attacked the first marriage in the Garden of Eden. And by disrupting their marriage, he was successful in bringing about the Fall of Man.

Today, I want to get real practical and give strategies to fight sexual sin so that you would be able to fight personally, and we as a church fight this sin corporately. And first we will ask 2 questions....and I want to give real practical strategies to help you fight sexual sin...

What does this commandment teach?

What are some practical strategies in obeying this commandment?

I. What does this commandment teach?

First, the commandment teaches that we are not to engage in sexual activity with someone who is not our spouse. Any sexual activity outside of the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman is sin in God’s eyes.

Adultery then is marital infidelity. The commandment is meant to protect the one flesh union of one man and on woman in covenant relationship until death do them part.

The NET Bible First Edition Notes Notes for 20:14

In the ancient world this sin is often referred to as “the great sin.”

In fact, the commandment was so serious in Israel that people were put to death for violating this commandment according to and the book of Deuteronomy.

There were tests in ancient Israel to see whether a woman or man were unfaithful to their vows. And if a person was found lying to the priest, they would be brought under a divine curse which is found in .

But I would never commit adultery pastor alex....

As we have seen in our Scripture reading, Jesus shows that the true intent of the law is not just sleeping with someone who is not your spouse, he goes to the very heart of the matter.

Matthew 5:27–28 ESV

“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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:27–30 ESV

“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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

And shortly after, he says,

Matthew 5:31-

Matthew 5:31–32 ESV

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

That marrying someone who was unlawfully divorced is also considered adultery.

Paul does the same thing in his letters showing that command to not commit adultery extends even to immorality and homosexuality:

1 Timothy 1:5–9 ESV

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,

1 Timothy 1:9–10 ESV

understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,

Look at Paul who goes through the second table of the law: fifth commandment “strike fathers and mothers”, sixth commandment “for murderers”, seventh commandment “sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality”, eight commandment “enslavers”, ninth commandment “liars and perjurers.”

The Greek word in the NT is porneia which could mean “having sex with a prostitute”, but the NT use this word to generally refer to all sins that deviate from God’s pattern and design within marriage. So the command to not commit adultery refers to any sexual sin that happens outside of marriage that is not lawful by God and it includes sins such as:

Masturbation, pornography, premarital sex, extramarital sex, bestiality, same-sex sex, adulterous sex.

To even sins of the heart as Jesus defined immorality by using the word lust which refers to an inordinate desire or a warped desire that has gone terribly wrong.

Luther, for example, said,

“[T]his commandment applies to every form of unchastity, however it is called. Not only is the external act forbidden, but also every kind of cause, motive, and means. Your heart, your lips, and your whole body are to be chaste and to afford no occasion, aid, or encouragement to unchastity.” Luther

Likewise, the Heidelberg Catechism says,

Heidelberg Catechism 41. Sunday

QUESTION 109. Does God in this commandment forbid nothing more than adultery and such like gross sins?

Since our body and soul are both temples of the Holy Ghost, it is His will that we keep both pure and holy; for which reason He forbids all unchaste actions, gestures, words, thoughts, desires, and whatever may entice thereto.

The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition The Shorter Catechism

Q. 70. Which is the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Q. 71. What is required in the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbour’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behaviour.

Q. 72. What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?

A. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.

Adultery is not just an external action that happens in the bedroom of someone who is not your spouse, adultery happens in the heart. Therefore we are all in trouble if we don’t have the gospel.

How can we obey this commandment to preserve us in our thought life, words, and actions?

This commandment applies to whether you are a child, young person, dating, married, divorced, or older saint. It applies to every single one of us in this congregation.

II. What are some strategies to fight sexual sin?

1. Have a Biblical View of Sex and Marriage

Genesis 2:24–25 ESV

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:25-

Genesis 2:

Marriage is one of the fundamental institutions of human societies. Why did God design marriage?

Well it was designed for companionship “It was not good for man to be alone.”

God designed marriage for children “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Original pattern, but some are not able to have children because we live in a fallen world).

God designed marriage for pleasure “It is very good.”

Pastor Alex, why are you talking about sex? It’s inappropriate to talk about this topic about this when you are in the pulpit.

I think why the church has experienced so much sexual brokenness is because we don’t teach about it enough!

If we are not going to teach our children and our people a healthy view of sexuality and marriage, the Devil will! The pop stars and cultural icons of our day will teach our children a vision of sex that is contrary to the Bible.

So don’t be naive to the world we live in today. We need to prepare our children and our people so that they can give a defense for the hope that is within us and see the beauty and plan for marriage.

And when it comes to the topic of sex, the church has taught people that sex before marriage is sin. And sex before marriage is shameful. But the church has failed to to teach that sex within marriage is commanded and is beautiful. You remember our studies in Proverbs:

Proverbs 5:18–19 ESV

Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.

The Bible devotes a whole book to marital intimacy:

Song of Solomon 4:17

English Standard Version Chapter 4

SHE

Let my beloved come to his garden,

and eat its choicest fruits.

5 I came to my garden, my sister, my bride,

I gathered my myrrh with my spice,

I ate my honeycomb with my honey,

I drank my wine with my milk.

OTHERS

Eat, friends, drink,

and be drunk with love!

Song of Solomon 4:1 ESV

Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead.

Song of Solomon 4:16–5:1 ESV

Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow. Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits. I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk. Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love!

We cannot teach that sex is somehow shameful or dirty, but holy, beautiful, and good within marriage.

Prior to the Reformation, the church viewed sex as a necessary evil. One writer said that:

Tertullian regarded the extinction of the human race as preferable to procreation. Ambrose said that married couples ought to be ashamed of their sexuality. Augustine was willing to admit that intercourse might be lawful but taught that sexual passion was always a sin. Many priests counseled couples to abstain from sex altogether. The Catholic church gradually began to prohibit sex on certain holy days, so that by the time of Martin Luther, the list had grown to 183 days a year. Ryken

Sex was a necessary evil that must take place in the act of procreation.

The Puritans out of all people recovered a more biblical view of sexuality!

“The Puritan doctrine of sex was a watershed in the cultural history of the West. The Puritans devalued celibacy, glorified companionate marriage, affirmed married sex as both necessary and pure, established the ideal of wedded romantic love, and exalted the role of the wife.” Ryken

The average Puritan family had seven to eight children although infant mortality was high. I’m not saying you need to have seven or eight children, but I’m saying that you need to be engaged in marital intimacy to produce that many children!

Sex is not dirty, shameful, or unholy, but it is pure, good, and holy within marriage.

God makes demands on our sex lives because he hates sex or marriage, but because he wants to protect sex within marriage as a pointer to his goodness.

Hebrews 13:4 ESV

Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

God has such strict standards because he does not hate our pleasure, but because he wants our pleasure to be maximized. And the pleasure of sex can only be maximized in marriage.

2. Get Married

It is interesting that we live in a generation where there are now more singles than there are married people.

But the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 7:9 ESV

But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

This does not mean that you should only get married to have sex. But it does mean that part of God’s remedy for sexual temptation is marriage if you cannot control yourself.

Obviously, there are some qualifications here: you must be old enough, mature enough, financially ready, it has to be a person of the opposite sex, a Christian, providence, affirmation from your community. Each case will be different. But the point is that if you cannot control yourself sexually, or you feel strong sexual passions, maybe that might be an indicator that you are not called to the gift of singleness.

Singleness should not be a time where you waste your time, your money, and you just get to be lazy.

Singleness should be a time where you prepare for marriage if God has given you the desire for marriage.

Don’t think you will shape up in marriage if you are not shaping up now.

Don’t think you will be responsible in marriage when you are not responsible now.

Don’t think you will be better in handling finances if you are not doing it now.

Singles—Go to work. Be responsible. Be faithful. Grow in your character so that you can be a person who is ready when God puts a person in front of you. Abstain from immorality and wait until marriage.

Married People—Help singles prepare for marriage. They need your help. They need your guidance on how to navigate through these issues.

3. Enjoy Singleness

But not all people are called to marriage.

I say enjoy singleness because many people in our society can idolize sex and even idolize the family within churches.

Sex is great within marriage, but it is not God. As I have heard a pastor say in a recent sermon,

“Man shall not live by sex alone.”

Another pastor has said,

“If marriage points to the shape of the gospel, then singleness points to its sufficiency, for this union with Christ is the only marriage we truly need.”

Marriage will not fulfill your deepest needs. Just ask my wife.

Single people, I just want to inform you that married people are not just waking up everyday wanting to have sex every waking minute of the day. If they did, there would be a problem.

Married people have problems. Married people are not living in eternal bliss. It’s great and I don’t want to downplay marriage, but marriage will not fulfill your deepest longings. Only Jesus will.

In other words, you don’t need sex to life a fulfilled life. Jesus was single. Paul was single. And in fact, Paul saw his singleness as a gift, not a curse.

1 Corinthians 7:8 ESV

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.

1 Corinthians 1:

1 Corinthians 7:32–33 ESV

I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,

1 Corinthians 7:

I love being married. But there are some things I can’t do. I can’t just drop my family and go get boba anytime I want with a church member to read Scripture. I can’t travel to places I would love to go because I got to take care of my wife. I was planning to go to Israel this year, but Helen is pregnant and that is going to wait. I need to care for my wife. My priority is to her.

Singles—maximize your time for God now. When you are married, you won’t be able to do the things you use to do when you were single.

Singles—If you don’t desire to be single, and wish to be married, I just say to you that you should pray and trust the Lord. Sometimes even though you desire to be married, no one has come along. God is a good Father to you. Cry out to Him. Trust Him. God is not a stingy good. Trust His providence even though it may be terribly difficult. Lean into others.

And God may not bring a person into your life. But do you believe that God is enough for you?

Matthew 19:10–12 ESV

The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Matthew 10

4. Have Regular Sex within Marriage

A fourth way we can fight the sexual sin is to have regular sex within marriage. Did my Pastor just say that?! In other words, spouses should not deprive one another in this regard:

1 Corinthians 7:1–5 ESV

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Obviously, there are exceptions to this command such as a time devoted to prayer. Or a wife or husband may be ill for a season or be recovering from a pregnancy or going through some personal issues that need to be worked through.

But the point is that sex within marriage should be regular. That will depend on circumstances and marriages and personalities, but if a married couple is not having sex within marriage, Satan can use this as a weapon to tempt men and women.

Wives—You have to help your husband here. Do you understand that there is a world of temptation that is seeking to stumble your husband? There is a whole world and sex industry trying to allure him away from you? It is on the billboards as I drive home from the 60. It is in ads. It is in magazines. It is in facebook. It is in instagram. Its on youtube.

So I would say to you don’t withhold sex from your husband as a weapon against him. Don’t deprive him.

Men often feel close to their wife by physically connected while women feel connected emotionally. God has designed it this way.

In marital counseling, I will often ask couples how often are they being intimate. If it hasn’t been awhile, then that means it is a sign that something is not healthy within marriage.

Drunkeness in the Bible which is ok? It is ok to be drunk in love with your spouse?

Proverbs 5:19 ESV

a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.

Wives with Backgrounds—And I want to say to the women who have been broken in this area. Maybe you view sex as dirty because you were abused as a child or worst raped. I just want to say to you find help. Get counseling. Process that brokenness with a counselor. You can find healing for marriage.

Married men—Before you say amen, don’t expect sex if you are not wooing her and cherishing her. And don’t woo her or cherish her because you want sex! Before you touch her body, make sure you touch her heart! When you love sacrificially, when you listen to your wife, when you lead your family and kids, when you speak kindly and tenderly too her, she will be more open to enjoy intimacy and oneness with you.

Recommend Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God by C.J. Mahaney.

Think about the wedding day. The verbal vows have been made to show the couple is one. And sex is the final signature of the covenant in the wedding night. Sex is a sign and seal of the covenant. And that covenant should be renewed on a regular basis.

5. Avoid Stumbling Blocks

Every person will be tempted differently. What stumbles you to lust in your heart after another man or woman? You can be in a monastery in a desert and still violate the seventh commandment.

“And let him who does not touch a woman not flatter himself, as if he could not be accused of immodesty, while in the meantime his heart inwardly burns with lust.” Calvin

For children, it can be a phone and clicking something you shouldn’t.

For young men (and women), it can be pornography.

For young women, it can be romance novels.

For others, it can be just plain idleness.

For singles, it can be just a burning or inordinate desire for someone that becomes unhealthy.

For dating people, it can be one’s bedroom or car.

For married people, it can be lingering on facebook or instagram with images you shouldn’t be watching.

For some, it can be the music you listen to.

Sam Smith, an openly gay pop star, won many musical awards for his pop song “Stay with me.”

Stay with me is a song about a one night stand, and the man wishing his lover would remain.

Guess it

Romance and erotic novels become blockbuster movies.

You think listening to that music is helpful for your soul?

Based on my experience, the Internet has become Satan’s number one tool in the 21st century and it seems to be a more silent infection into the body of believers because it typically only involves the user and their computer. Ryken11

The silent infection of pornography in the church is deadly. It denigrates women, damages relationships, and destroys a man’s spiritual ability to lead. The Puritan Thomas Watson rightly said that pornographic pictures “secretly convey poison to the heart.” Ryken

Porn is probably the one stumbling block of our generation. People are watching porn at earlier ages. And pornography enslaves young people, but it literally enslaves women as it is fuel for prostitution and sex traffic industry throughout the world.

The reality is that some of you watched porn last night. Or this week. Or this past month.

Some of you have engaged in pornography at such a young age, that it has literally become an addiction and you can’t function properly without it. It is like a drug that you cannot resist.

Most internet traffic is a result of people watching porn.

Consider the casual sex on the college campus, the aggressive promotion of homosexuality as a lifestyle, and all the sexual material on television. With all the encounters and innuendoes, the average American views sexual material more than 10,000 times a year. Ryken

We are so desensitized as a culture where we see it as normal and part of everyday life.

What does Jesus say? Take radical measures to get that poison out of your soul before it is too late?

Matthew 5:29–30 ESV

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

If we take Jesus seriously, unrepentent porn use can lead you to hell. Doesn’t that scare you?

Jesus could come at any minute and when he comes, will he find you faithful or masturbating in front of a computer screen.

I have to say it because it is true and this is an epidemic that is enslaving not only a generation, but people within the church.

Porn user—Jesus can give you the power to say no. Jesus can forgive you. It is not the unpardonable sin.

Porn has crippled a whole generation of men because Satan has a foothold in men’s heart.

People turn to porn because it is just easier. It is easier to control an environment, to create your own fantasy, and to satisfy yourself than to trust God’s providence, to pursue a woman, and to seek to satisfy someone else.

Porn may also affect women as well. Romance novels. Fantasies. Twilight. 50 Shades. These novels have become blockbusters.

Sexual sin leads to other sins: selfishness, lying, deceit, stealing, hatred, idolatry, coveting. It is idolatry.

Single/Married—If you stumble on your ipad or phone, turn the wifi off when you are home. Are get rid of your phone and get a old phone. If it is your laptop, get rid of your laptop and purchase a computer and place it in the living room. Even if that stumbles you, use a computer at the library or the church. Do whatever it takes to free yourself of this poison. It is possible to get victory over it.

Read a book. Finally Free by Heath Lambert. Pornagraphy by Vaugn Roberts. Tim Chester. Tim Challies has a book called Sexual Detox.

Get counseling and accountability. I don’t mean accountability where other men say I’m struggling to. I watched porn this week too. Woe is me. I’m saying real accountability with men who actually tell you to fight this sin and kill it. Will say hard truths. Ask specific questions. “I’m struggling.”

Married Men—Don’t resurrect or linger over a facebook profile or on instagram. Get software in your devices. Don’t read the sports magazine.

Parents—Don’t give your child a smartphone unless you are going to have oversight over it. You wouldn’t give a child keys to the car until he is ready to drive, and you shouldn’t give kids a smartphone where they can instantly access this stuff.

Exodus 20:14 ESV

“You shall not commit adultery.

Children—Don’t click on something you shouldn’t be clicking on. Talk to your parents if you have. Ask mom and dad for help and be honest about it.

Sisters—Dress modestly. Don’t be a stumbling block to brothers. Help your brothers here.

Brothers—Don’t be a stumbling block to sisters. Don’t be flirtatious and overpromise but not deliver.

6. Use God’s Word

Adultery is simply marital infidelity. The commandment is meant to protect marriage.

Psalm 119:9 ESV

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

The NET Bible First Edition Notes Notes for 20:14

In the ancient world this sin is often referred to as “the great sin.”

Psalm 119:11 ESV

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:36–37 ESV

Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Psalm

Job 31:1 ESV

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?

Ephesians 5:3 ESV

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

Matthew 5:27–28 ESV

“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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;

I quote these verses all the time because these are the verses that I go to regularly myself to fight against temptation. God’s word is truly powerful and active. Show me a person who is not regularly reading his Bible, and I will show you a person who will be more prone to falling because they don’t have God’s word as a defense mechanism.

7. Join a Church

Sex was a necessary evil that must take place in the act of procreation.

The Puritans out of all people recovered a more biblical view of sexuality!

Hebrews 3:12–13 ESV

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

We need others in the fight against sexual temptation. This is why God has given us a family to encourage us not to look at these things.

Leviticus 20:10 ESV

“If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

The command extends to married people.

Our church covenant actually reads:

The command extends to single people “sexual immorality”.

The command extends to dating people “fornication.”

We will seek by divine aid to flee sexual immorality

Adultery is a violation of our union with Christ.

2 Timothy 2:19–22 ESV

But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

The church’s responsibility is to help others fight in this area. And it is also responsbility to discipline those who refuse to repent of their immorality because unrepentant and habitual sexual immorality might show you are not a Christian.

We will discipline sexual immorality

1 Corinthians 5:1–2 ESV

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

Serving in Church engaged in Immorality

If you are serving in the church and are engaging in immorality, maybe you need to step down from ministry. It might not necessarily mean you are disqualified forever from serving God, but it may mean you need to take a break from ministry until you can get your soul right with God.

2 Timothy 2:19–22 ESV

2 Timothy 2:19–20 ESV

God wants to use honorable and holy vessels to serve Him.

8. Disciple Others

If the Lord has given you victory in this place of temptation, help others in their fight.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Help others. Pray with them. Use the Bible. Point them to Jesus.

Give away good books.

Be an example.

1 Timothy 4:12 ESV

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

I’m talking to you leaders. Can people look at you and say your example? Can they say that look at your relationships with others, and they say that’s how I want to conduct myself when I get older? Sad to say, we have had more bad examples than good.

Parents. Talk to your children about sex in age-appropriate ways. There are books we read with our children that talks about private parts and how it is sacred. Model a healthy marriage for your own children.

Married People—Invite singles into your home and show them what a real marriage looks like. They can learn from just watching.

9.Understand the Consequences of Sexual Immorality

There are so many I can list. But remember when David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he lost his child as a result.

Masturbation is a form of adultery.

His family would have family problems and division for the rest of his life.

Romance Novels is a form of adultery.

If you are watching porn on a regular basis, and really feel no remorse or have no fight for sin, maybe you should not do ministry until you get your soul right with God.

Uriah was murdered.

David lost his reputation and respect among some of his men.

There were too many consequences that were not worth the one night stand.

I would encourage you to revisit my sermon on to see the dangers and consequences on sexual immorality. I just want to remind you of some....

Poverty

Proverbs 6:25–26 ESV

Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life.

Pain

proverbs 6:

Proverbs 6:27 ESV

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?

Punishment

Proverbs 6:29–30 ESV

So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; none who touches her will go unpunished. People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,

Proverbs

Disgrace

Proverbs 6:33 ESV

He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.

Proverbs

Danger

Proverbs 6:34 ESV

For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.

Death

Proverbs 7:25–27 ESV

Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 7:25-26

Eternal Death

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 ESV

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Revelation 21:7–8 ESV

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Revelation

10. Understand Your Union with Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 6:12–20 ESV

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Everyone in this congregation has been guilty of this sin. If not in action, in word or deed. In fact, in the OT, God calls his people adulterers through the prophets because they turned away from God.

Israel whored after Assryia and Babylon. The church prostitutes herself by going after pragmatism and worldly methods.

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

But in God’s love, God sent His own Son to be punished for our sexual sin. Can you imagine that Jesus took on flesh, and he was tempted sexually just like the rest of us?

Hebrews 2:17–18 ESV

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews

It is not sin to be tempted. It is sin to linger over a desire. It is sin to mentally undress a woman in your mind. It is is sin to mentally desire a better husband.

Jesus may have seen attracted by woman, but he did not lust in their hearts after them.

And Jesus because he was sexually pure, he would be defiled and shamed at the cross.

Because we are all guilty of sexual sin in thought, action, or word. Jesus was shamed at the cross to take away our shame.

Jesus was stripped naked, so that he could clothe our shame.

Jesus was punished, so that we would not have be punished for our sins.

And Jesus rose again triumphantly from the grave to declare us righteous if we are willing to forsake our sexual sin and follow Him. Jesus can wash us and make us clean again for those of us who failed,

1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Martin Lloyd Jones, the famous preacher said,

“Even adultery is not the unforgivable sin. It is a terrible sin, but God forbid that there should be anyone who feels that he or she has sinned himself or herself outside the love of God or outside His kingdom because of adultery. No; if you truly repent and realize the enormity of your sin and cast yourself upon the boundless love and mercy and grace of God, you can be forgiven and I assure you of pardon. But hear the words of our blessed Lord; ‘Go, and sin no more.’

1 Corinthians 6:13–20 ESV

“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:

1 Corinthians 6:13-

Jesus has bought your soul and your body. Therefore, go and sin no more.

Israel whored after Assyria and Babylon.

Church whores after pragmatism and worldly methods.

“And let him who does not touch a woman not flatter himself, as if he could not be accused of immodesty, while in the meantime his heart inwardly burns with lust.” Calvin

Repentance is when a gift of God’s Spirit where a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed Thomas Watson said.

Sexual abandoment according to the Reformers was a form of addultery.

“for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death us do part.”

Repentance is when you mourn over your sin and cry out to God to help you change by the mercy of God.

Union with Christ helps us in our fight against adultery.

Psalm 51:1–5 ESV

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

God can forgive anyone who comes to him with a broken and contrite heart and a heart willing to forsake sexual sin that dishonors God.

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Ten ways to fight sexual sin and therefore preserve the dignity and sanctity of marriage and obey the command to not commit adultery.

God is not only concerned with sanctity of human life, but also the sanctify of marriage and family life.

Understand God’s Plan for Sex

Get Married

clear. If murder is a violation of life itself, adultery is a violation of its most important and sacred human relationship—the marriage of husband and wife.

Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2794-2795). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Enjoy Singlness

Rooker, Mark. The Ten Commandments: Ethics for the Twenty-First Century (New American Commentary Studies in Bible and Theology) (Kindle Locations 2794-2795). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Have Regular Sex within Marriage

Struggling with lust means watch it regularly as an addiction.

Avoid Stumbling Blocks

Get vid angel.

Use God’s Word

Join a Church

Get accountability.

Memorize Scripture.

Disciple Others

Have frequent intimacy in marriage.

Understand the Consequences of Sexual Sin

Avoid idleness.

Understand Your Union with Jesus Christ

Let us end with prayer. And I think it would be appropriate to use after he committed adultery with Bathsheba:

Don’t go on online chatrooms. Linger over profiles.

Psalm 51 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Be Careful of media.

Be Transparent of your failures.

Join a church.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Adultery in the Ancient Near East

generally defined as sexual intercourse between a married or betrothed woman and a man other than her husband.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 7:9 ESV

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,

Malachi

Malachi 3:5 ESV

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

is a test case if a man supects his wife of adultery.

Ezekiel 16:15–35 ESV

“But you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be. You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, and set my oil and my incense before them. Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord God. And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood. “And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord God), you built yourself a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square. At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passerby and multiplying your whoring. You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied. “How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment. Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different. “Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord:

Hosea 1:5 ESV

And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”