The Ten Commandments 7: Adultery

Text:

Exodus 20:14 (ESV) — 14 “You shall not commit adultery.

Intro

In a broader sense, the Ten Commandments are essentially wedding vows. God has covenanted to Israel that He will provide for them, and they have covenanted to obey and believe Him. He alone is God, and there are no others beside Him. And yet, every act of disobedience, and every act of lustful idolatry, is an expression of spiritual adultery.

The implication of our verse this morning is that our marriages, as covenants that imitate and model to the world Christ and the Church, are to be honored and protected.

Genesis 2:24 (ESV) — 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. [Mark 10:7; Ephesians 5:31]

Hebrews 13:4 (ESV) — 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

Proverbs 5:18 (ESV) — 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

Interestingly, adultery could be seen to ramp up the previous commandment of murder.

“The adulterer does what lies in him, to destroy the soul of another--and so kills two at once!” - Thomas Watson

Jesus takes the sin to its root in the heart

Matthew 5:27–30 (ESV) — 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 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. 30 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.

Adultery Statistics

Porn Use Statistics

1. Over 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites. The average visit lasts 6 minutes and 29 seconds 2. There are around 42 million porn websites, which totals around 370 million pages of porn. 3. The porn industry’s annual revenue is more than the NFL, NBA, and MLB combined. It is also more than the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC. 4. 47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their home. Pornography use increases the marital infidelity rate by more than 300%. 5. 11 is the average age that a child is first exposed to porn, and 94% of children will see porn by the age of 14. 6. 56% of American divorces involve one party having an “obsessive interest” in pornographic websites. 7. 70% of Christian youth pastors report that they have had at least one teen come to them for help in dealing with pornography in the past 12 months. 8. 68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. Of young Christian adults 18-24 years old, 76% actively search for porn. 9. 59% of pastors said that married men seek their help for porn use. 10. 33% of women aged 25 and under search for porn at least once per month. 11. Only 13% of self-identified Christian women say they never watch porn—87% of Christian women have watched porn. 12. 55% of married men and 25% of married women say they watch porn at least once a month. 13. 57% of pastors say porn addiction is the most damaging issue in their congregation. 69% say porn has adversely impacted the church.

[https://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/15-mind-blowing-statistics-about-pornography-and-the-church]

The greatness of the sin [adultery] lies in this: that it is a great dishonor done to God. God says, "You shall not commit adultery." The adulterer sets his will above God's law, tramples upon his command, affronts him to his face; as if a subject should tear his prince's proclamation. The adulterer is highly injurious to all the persons in the Trinity. To God the Father. Sinner, God has given you your life, and you do waste the lamp of life, the flower of your age in lewdness. He has bestowed on you many mercies, health, and estate, and you spend all on harlots. Did God give you wages--to serve the devil! It is injurious to God the Son, in two ways. As he has purchased you with his blood. "You are bought with a price." 1 Cor 6:20. Now he who is bought is not his own; it is a sin for him to go to another, without consent, from Christ, who has bought him with a price. As by virtue of baptism you are a Christian, and professes that Christ is your head, and you are a member of Christ; therefore, what an injury is it to Christ, to "take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot"? 1 Cor 6:15. It is injurious to God the Holy Spirit; for the body is his temple. "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you?" 1 Cor 6:19. And how great a sin is it to defile his temple! [Thomas Watson]

Where does this sin come from?

James 1:12–15 (ESV) — 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Desires that are not dealt with grow into sin. Emotions can be like a wild bronco, but you must be the rider.

David noticed beautiful Bathsheba bathing, which was not sinful, but he sent men to inquire about her. He schemed how he could have her. He abused His office. He sinned in order to have her. (See recent blog posts)

1 John 2:16 tells us that “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”

Think about these things for a minute: The desire of the eyes, the flesh, and of our pride. The Tree in the garden looked like good fruit to the eyes, satisfying to hungry flesh, and would make them wise like God. There was a lot going on there. And so it is with our lusts.

Not only are we to take captive the desires of our eyes. We know what those are. They are the most obvious.

We are also to take captive the desires of our flesh — hormones, tiredness, loneliness, (H.A.L.T.) [hungry, angry, lonely, tired]

We are also to take captive the pride of life — discontentedness, insecurity, “I deserve this”, “no one understands”, “God doesn’t hear me”, “my spouse always says no”, etc.

Kill sin at the level of desire.

Combatting Lust

Helper Fit For Him

Marriage

1 Corinthians 7:9 (ESV) — 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

Christ’s singleness

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV) — 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

“When we undermine Jesus’ human temptation, we undermine his sympathy” - Kevin DeYoung

Applications For Fleeing Lust

Flee — "Run from her! Don't go near the door of her house!" Proverbs 5:8.

Study — what is really going on here?

Cut off eye or hand Matt 5 — What does Jesus mean?

“we should be as much afraid of that which defiles the body as of that which destroys it.” - Matthew Henry --- We mask our faces, but we neglect to mask our eyes and hearts. [tv, movies, media] 1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV) — 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

Avoid Idleness

Weep and plead with God for daily mercy — Don’t only be sad that you sinned, be sad that you wanted to sin.

Cut off ungodly friends

Battle discontent in life, marriage, etc.

[On being aroused by others but boasting that you only have sex with your spouse is like] “Getting your appetite somewhere else but eating your meals at home” - Doug Wilson

Fight the fight of faith. You know what you should do - act upon it.

God hates sexual immorality - "The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is abhorred by the Lord, will fall into it." Prov 22:14. God gives you over Romans 1:28

Do not harden your heart here. Do not give in and think that you are trapped. Do not melt under the weight of your shame and believe that you can never be made clean again.

Such Were Some of You

Woman Caught In Adultery

John 7:53–8:11 (ESV) — 53 They went each to his own house, 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Repentance

Psalm 136:1–26 (ESV) — 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; 4 to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; 5 to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; 6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; 7 to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; 8 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; 9 the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever; 10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; 11 and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; 12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; 13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; 14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; 15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever; 16 to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever; 17 to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; 18 and killed mighty kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever; 20 and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever; 21 and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever; 22 a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever. 23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; 24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; 25 he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Reassurance

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (ESV) — 9 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, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 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.

Communion

The cup and the bread is what faithfulness looks like. It’s what Adam should have done for Eve. It’s obedience that we owed to God but failed to live up to. Christ is our great and faithful high priest.