Adultery Series

I. Introduction

A. A reporter was visiting an old folks home and met three very old looking men. The reporter asked the first fellow what was the secret of his long life. The man replied that he never smoked, never drank alcoholic beverages, never caroused around and was happily married to the same woman for 60 years. The reporter asked how old that first man was and he answered, 96 years old. The reporter turn to the next man who looked considerably older than the first and asked him the secret of his long life. The second man answered, well, I smoked a little, I drank a little, I caroused around a little, my first wife divorced me so I married my second wife and we’ve been married 43 years. The reporter asked him how old he was and he replied, I’m 66 years old. The reporter turn to the third man, who looked worse than the other two, and asked him his secret. He answered that he smoked three packs of cigarettes a day, I drank two fifths of “Old Overholt Pure Rye Whisky” every day, I caroused to the early hours of the morning six days a week, I’ve never been married. The reporter asked him his age and he replied 17.

1. Adultery is immorality and adultery causes great destruction, hurt and pain, both within and without the person

a. There are at least three reasons why a person commits this immoral act

(1) The ego: the sense of conquering, taking, capturing, controlling, knowing, seeing, experiencing, enjoying, and on and on, a person's ego is boosted and inflated

(2) The inner need for attention and sharing

(3) The raw lust of the flesh

(a) Immorality is so common that it is often thought excusable and acceptable if it is agreed to by the partners, and if other lives are not directly affected

(b) From what I have experienced in the Army and in the ministry Immorality is very prevalent in all levels of society

(c) And it seems that the higher up in society one gets, adultery and all kinds of sexual immorality is more and more prevalent

b. Humans have always tended to glorify the body and the flesh

(1) Exposing the body

(2) Dressing the body for sexual attraction

(3) Looking at and observing the body and its movements

(a) All are often acceptable practices of society

(b) Inward desire (lust) and the act of sexual pleasure itself are often thought to be so much a part of nature and normality that to restrict them is considered abnormal and straight-laced

(4) Christ is strong, insistent in His demand for purity so strong that He insists on radical surgery rather than allowing the hand or eye to sin

(5) An immoral eye and hand will carry the whole body into hell, Christ says, so pluck out the eye and cut off the hand

(6) But what do we say?

(a) He doesn't mean this literally

(b) And we use this fact as a way to water down the sharpness and the strictness of His point

i) Lets turn to James 1:14-15

(7) However, we ignore and neglect His words to our detriment

(a) Today such loose sexual morals leads to such horrors as AIDS and Syphilis

(8) And this is Jesus very point

(a) However, our thought life is as dangerous as real life

James 1:14-15 (NKJV)

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. {15} Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death

B. We may fantasize and lust as a result of reading immoral magazines and books, lustfully look at the movements of a person walking, and call it recognizing beauty, dress to sexually attract, take pleasure in the stimulation and sensation of sex

1. But Christ clearly warns, lustful looking, touching, and behavior will cause the whole body to be cast into hell

a. The matter is so serious that radical surgery is called for

b. No diluting, no evading, no explaining of His words and what He means can change the severe judgment that awaits the immoral person

(1) Let us turn to Matthew 5:27

II. Body

A. The Law

Matthew 5:27 (NKJV)

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.

1. Adultery, sex, the Bible does not teach that sex is wrong

a. But the Bible does teach that sex can be used wrongly, and the wrong use of sex is sin

b. Sex has been given by God for at least three reasons

(1) Sex causes a person male or female, to be attracted to another of the opposite sex

(a) Therefore, sexual attraction is one of the major tools that brings about marriage