The Destructive Power of Adultery
Exodus 20:14
Introduction:
If you are joining us for the first time today, we have been going through the Ten Commandments and looking at how they still apply today. Today, we come to the 7th Commandment, which is, “You shall not commit adultery.”
You know, human beings are sexual beings! Scientist tell us that our sex drive is virtually equal to our will to live. This is not a bad thing. We are this way because God made us this way. When God made man, His first command to mankind was for them to multiply. Now, we all know how human reproduction is carried out. Therefore, we find that God has made a man a sexual being. However, our sexuality has been corrupted by sin! God’s plan is for the sexual relationship to be between a husband and a wife only. Any other form of sexual expression, outside of that material relationship, is sinful! This is the very are addressed by this 7th Commandment.
When we think of adultery, we automatically think of man being unfaithful to his wife. Yet, this Commandment is far broader than just that. I personally believe that it encompasses the entire realm of human sexual experience. Any sexual expression outside the confines of the martial relationship is a sin against God!
Now, we would all have to admit that we live in a time when sexuality, and the expression of it, are rampant in our society. Sex is found on the television, in magazines, on billboards. You name it, in this society, sex sells and it seems to be what people like, because no one stands against it. If our society were somehow found by researchers from a distant time, they would without doubt agree that this is a society obsessed with sex!
When Jesus was on earth, He looked at His culture and labeled it, “an adulterous and sinful generation.” (Mark 8:38). If He were to speak to our day, what would he say about current day America? Some may ask, “Preacher is this material relevant today?” My answer would be, “Yes!” We live in a world where nearly 50% of all men say they have committed adultery that is just the number that will admit to it! Researchers estimate the nearly 2/3 of all married men will commit adultery before the age of 40. 41% of married women also say they are guilty of this sin. Is it relevant? “Yes!” Because the statistics are just as bad for the church! Christianity Today did a random sampling of 1000 subscribers and questioned them on the matter of adultery. 45% said they had acted inappropriately and 23% said they had committed adultery. It is relevant because it has a negative effect on our young people. 1/5 of youth lose their virginity before the age of 13! It is not wonder AIDs, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are on the increases. It can all be traced back to a lack of morality and standards at home! When children see their parents living immoral lives, it sends the message that sexual immorality is good and acceptable. Billy Graham, in a recent survey, found that 40% of youth in Bible believing, evangelical churches were sexually active. He also found that 60% of single adults in these churches were not only sexually active, but over half reported having multiple partners!
I want you to know today that God is still against adultery! He still hates it and is still punishing those who are guilty of it today. This morning, I would like for us to take a few minutes to study this sin called adultery and see that it is a sin not just against your spouse, but that it touches every area of your life.
Adultery is a very destructive sin; allow me to show you how. Adultery is a sin against:
I. Your Spouse
Adultery does incredible damage to one’s spouse!
A. When a man and woman marry, they become one flesh
• When one of the partners joins with a person outside of the marriage contract, they have broken that bond and have joined another – 1 Corinthians 6:16
B. Adultery says to the innocent spouse, “You weren’t good enough for me.”
• Adultery has the power to destroy the self esteem of the innocent victim.
C. Adultery destroys trust!
• The innocent spouse will have a hard time ever trusting the other spouse!
D. Perhaps this is why Jesus gave an escape clause in cases of sexual immorality in Matthew 19:3-9.
E. It simply comes down to this, your marriage must be “adultery proofed!”
• How is this done?
• By giving heed to the command given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:1-5.
“Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 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.”
F. Adultery is also an attack at one’s children!
• David’s children followed in his footsteps.
• Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar.
• Absalom took his father’s concubines for himself.
• Sexual immorality has a way of filtering down to the children.
• One’s spiritual influence is also compromises when we stoop to committing adultery.
• Children lose respect for a parent that destroys the family over illicit and indecent pleasures.
II. Your Self
Adultery does incredible damage to one’s self
A. Adultery, among believers, is the result of being in a backslidden condition.
• Then, once that line is crossed, the enemy will continue to attack in that area.
• Doing it the second, third, fourth times will not be as hard because the will has been softened and one’s guard is let down.
B. Many people are guilty of adultery even though they have never had sexual relations with another person.
• Jesus wants us to know that adultery is as much a mater of heart and mind as it is of the flesh.
• So called “girl watching.”, pornography, sexual fantasies, etc.
• All lead to adultery of the heart and make a person just as guilty as physical adultery!
C. There will be a terrible price to pay for crossing the line – Proverbs 6:26-29; 32-33.
“For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, and an adulteress hunts for the precious life. Can a mane take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned? Or can a man walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? So is the one who does in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever touches her will not go unpunished.”
“The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it. Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out.”
D. Committing adultery will destroy your witness and testimony.
• The televangelist and others we have heard of here in our own area and how adultery has ruined their ministry.
• When you commit adultery just try to tell a sinner how he can be saved!
• Nathan’s words to David still ring true today from 2 Samuel 12:14; when you commit adultery or another other sin you open the door for the enemy to blaspheme the Lord.
E. How can a person guard themselves?
• Adopt the attitude of the Psalmist in Psalm 100:3, “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
• Just ask David what happens when you allow your eyes to wonder.
• We are to guard our eyes, our flesh and our mind.
• If we put the right stuff in, we will get the right results in return.
F. In our world, it is hard to avoid sexual stimulation.
• Therefore, we are to be on our best guard at all times!
III. Your Society
A. As goes the family, so goes the society.
• When we see the family unit being destroyed, we come to see that our society as a while is in danger of collapsing.
• In fact, every great empire that has fallen has done so as the result of sexual immorality!
• Is America next?
• It all depends on what we do with our sexuality!
• Immorality, homosexuality, etc, abound in our day.
• We need to turn the tide and doing so demands that it begin in my home and yours.
• We need to covenant together and vow to God that we will guard our homes and our lives against these evil sins.
B. Immorality in the life of a member of the church can tarnish the entire work of God.
• Notice, 1 Corinthians 12:26, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
• 1 Corinthians 5:6, “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”
• Do not think that your sin is a private thing, just a little affair that you can hide when you please.
• In truth, it is a sin, it is adultery and it tarnishes the name of the church and destroys our ministry in the community!
C. Adultery is such a sin against society that G. Campbell Morgan said, “The adulterer is the enemy of the state.”
• My personal persuasion is that it is an act of treason to the state to allow adulterers and adulteresses to go free and unpunished.
• The greatness of a people depends upon the purity and strength of the people and in every nation where the marriage relation is violated with impunity the virus of death is surely and certainly at work, “I agree with that statement!”
D. God’s desire is that this type of behavior never finds manifestation among His people.
IV. Your Savior
A. Of all the reasons for not committing adultery, this is the greatest!
• If you are saved, you will want to please the Lord and nothing displeases Him more than to see His children committing adultery.
• Sadly, this should be our greatest reason for cleanliness in this area is often the very last one we consider.
B. God, however, has considered it and has made several statements concerning adultery.
i. Adultery was considered the “great sin” according to Genesis 20:9
ii. Leviticus 20:10 tells us that adultery was punishable by death. God will still deal with it today according to Proverb 6:23-35.
iii. In Ephesians 5:22-23, we see that adultery destroys that which was created to be the most visible and closet approximation of God’s relationship to His people, the marriage.
iv. In Exodus 20:14, we see that God’s prohibition against adultery was not to ruin man’s fun; it was to protect the home which He had established.
C. When a person commits adultery, the cause of Christ is hindered and the Name of Jesus is dragged down.
• Our duty is to be as sexually pure as we can be.
• We are to avoid any activity that may feel passion and lead to adultery.
Closing
What can we do to avoid the trap of adultery? There are five steps which can be taken that will safeguard your life against this horrible sin.
1. Walk with God – if you walk with God daily, you will have the ammunition available to be able to stand when temptation arises in your life.
2. Avoid Suggestive Activities – remember the words of Psalm 100:3; never allow your eyes to behold things that will cause you to stumble. Keep a clean life!
3. Avoid Flirty Relationships – stay far away from the person who is flirty, watch out for that “friendship” which could lead to other things. Beware that you never just “play around” with someone who is not your spouse! Often, simple flirtation leads to big time adultery! No one just wake sup on day and says, “I think I’ll go out and commit adultery today.” It is always the result of things building up on top of other things that leads to that point. If you can stay from those little things, the big one will never happen to you!
4. Count the Cost – take a minute to look at he incredible damage that can be done to your spouse, your Lord, your children and your own life. Nobody, however great the body or personality, is worth what you can potentially lose!
5. Love Your Spouse Only – If it is too late and you are guilty of committing adultery, there is hope and forgiveness in the blood of Jesus. He promises us in 1 John 1:9 that He will forgive all our sins when we confess them to Him. Maybe it hasn’t gotten that far, but you are guilty of flirting and doing things that you know are dangerous. Jesus will forgive that also! Maybe your sin is a secret one, you look at pornography, or watch and read things that you know cause you to lust in your heart. Jesus will forgive that too.
Whatever the need, remember, Jesus loves you and He will make it right! All you need to do, is take that first step and come to Him. Let’s Pray.
Prayer
Lord as we come to the conclusion of this service, I ask that you would stir your Holy Spirit amongst this congregation. Knock on the heart of the unbeliever, that today they may come to be known by you. Speak to the heart of the saved, and reveal to them the direction you would have them to go. Most importantly Lord we ask that you would be present in our life’s and that we would live a life that glorifies you. We thank you Lord and ask this things in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, Amen.
Invitation
As Bro. Bill comes to lead us in hymn for our invitation, I encourage you to do as the Holy Spirit is leading in your heart right now. The Lord is waiting.
