However, because adultery is widespread across this country, many pastors know that if they preach on such a subject, it may cause some serious problems in their church.
But a pastor that is called to preach the Word of God, does not make his decisions based on what the congregation wants to hear, but on what the Scripture says.
That is what I want to do in this sermon. I recognize this is a delicate subject, and I will try to be as gentle and loving as I know how. Let’s look at-
I. THE SIN OF PHYSICAL ADULTERY
At the risk of sounding simplistic, we need to ask ourselves, “WHAT IS ADULTERY?”
Many words today are being redefined. One of the words that is being redefined is sex.
Illus: We all remember when former President Bill Clinton was in office, and he looked into the television camera and said, “I did not have sex with that woman!”
Later when undeniable evidence (DNA) appeared, he still denied he had sex with her because of his definition of sex.
WHY DID HE DENY THAT HE HAD SEX WITH HER? Because what he did with her didn’t fit into his definition of having sex.
Another word that is being redefined is the word adultery.
WHAT IS ADULTERY?
• Adultery can safely be defined as a married person having any sexual experience outside the marriage relationship
• Franklin Dictionary and Thesaurus says adultery is, “Sexual unfaithfulness of a married person.” This includes fondling, oral sex, petting and etc.
With this definition of adultery, let’s look at-
WHERE DID MARRIAGE ORIGINATE? The idea and the institution of marriage originated with God. Marriage was deliberately designed by God as part of the original creation.
In Genesis 2:18-25 we read of the creation of man, but after the creation of Adam, God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him." The "help meet for him", means a helper that corresponds to him or is suitable for him.
Before creating the woman, God required Adam to survey the entire animal kingdom. In this way, Adam became aware that he was alone. Despite the abundance of other living creatures, he found none that corresponded to him (verses 19, 20).
Then God made the woman from the rib of the sleeping man. When Adam awoke and saw her, he immediately identified with her, "…This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh…." (verses 21-23).
The inspired writer then adds a divine commentary on this episode, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (verse 24).
Thus, man and woman were literally "made for each other." They do not stand separately as two independent and self-sufficient individuals. Together they form one whole, one flesh.
Man and wife actually become one LIFE as they share with one another their feelings, aspirations, desires, fears, weaknesses, strengths, possessions, and their very selves.
God designed men and women to marry, and only in this state are their lives complete.
HOW DID HE DESIGN MARRIAGE? Let’s look at two things, such as:
A. MARRIAGE IS A COMPLEMENTARY RELATIONSHIP
Neither man nor woman was made to live a solitary life.
• Each without the other is incomplete
• When joined together, each complements or completes the life of the other
Look at Matthew 19:4-6, we read, “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Notice, the Bible refers to marriage as a male and female relationship.
Look at verse 4, we read, “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,” You can not find one verse of scripture in the Bible to support SAME SEX MARRIAGE.
In the sight of God, the Bible makes it clear that any kind of marriage other than a male and female relationship, is an ABOMINATION in the sight of God.
• It does not matter if the supreme court legalizes same sex marriage, God’s Word says it is an abomination
• It does not matter if every liberal church in the world says it is all right
In God’s sight, such a relationship is an abomination.
Notice, the Bible says marriage takes place when God makes man and woman one. Look at Matthew 19:6, we read, “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
The Bible says marriage is something that God has put together. He says, “What therefore God hath joined together…..”
Adultery is the SIN that the devil uses to undo what God has JOINED TOGETHER.
MARRIAGE IS A COMPLEMENTARY RELATIONSHIP, but also -
B. MARRIAGE IS AN EXCLUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
The two who become one flesh, form a complete unit. The old saying, "Three's a crowd," definitely applies in this case. There can never be a third party involved in a true marriage.
The marriage relationship is necessarily exclusive, because it is patterned after the solitary devotion of the one God to His people.
• Look at 2 Cor. 11:2, we read, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
• Look at Ephesians 5:22-23, we read, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.”
MARRIAGE IS AN EXCLUSIVE RELATIONSHIP.
The same thing is true with our relationship with the Lord. Everything and everyone is excluded from our lives, we are faithful to Him only.
• God is faithful to His people, and He demands that His people be faithful to Him
• We can no more divide our love and loyalty between two spouses than we can between two gods
Adultery is an old sin that God dealt with very severely in the Old Testament.
• We live in an age where it is only wrong IF YOU DO IT AND GET CAUGHT
• But that is not correct, it is also wrong if you do it and do not get caught
In the Old Testament, God dealt with adultery severely. Look at Leviticus 20:10, we read, “And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”
We have looked at THE SIN OF PHYSICAL ADULTERY.
God teaches that a person can commit this sin physically, but they can also commit this sin in their heart. Let’s look at-
II. THE SIN OF HEART ADULTERY
While we are quick to point fingers and condemn those who have committed PHYSICAL ADULTERY, we, who have committed HEART ADULTERY, excuse ourselves.
We may have never committed physical adultery, but the fact is, everyone here probably has committed HEART ADULTERY!
WHAT IS HEART ADULTERY? The Word of God tells us what it is.
Matthew 5:27-28, we read, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Notice, God equates HEART ADULTERY with the same condemnation as PHYSICAL ADULTERY. The Lord said if a man so much as looks at a woman in a lustful manner, he has committed HEART ADULTERY.
But while the Lord is using the man in this verse to describe HEART ADULTERY, women are as guilty of this sin as men are.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger had been working a long time to get a man who was a weight lifter to come to church. He was a muscular fellow, and had won several physique contests. One Sunday after much witnessing, he walked into church. And this ungodly married woman walked up to him, in the presence of others, and said, “You work where I work and I must confess that every time I see you, you make me sin.”
Listen, there are some men and women who can not look at the opposite sex without committing HEART ADULTERY.
The seventh commandment is, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. This includes heart adultery as much as physical adultery.
The Jews were hard on those who committed physical adultery.
Illus: Remember the woman that was caught in the very act of adultery? They were ready to stone her to death. They were quick to point out to the Lord that the Law required she be stoned. They wanted to know what He thought they should do with her. His suggestion was, “He that is without sin let him cast the first stone.”
They knew the law punished only those guilty of the act, and, according to the Pharisees, this law was broken only by the act.
The Lord picked up on this, and in Matthew 5:27, He said, "Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery." But the Lord then says, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
God has always condemned adultery because it is a sin:
• Against self
• Against marriage
• Against heaven
• Against the conscience
• Against the body
The Lord condemns those who commit the PHYSICAL ACT and those who commit the LUSTFUL LOOK.
2 Peter 2:14, talks about the lustful look, we read, “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.”
• The man who abhors the sin of adultery in his heart, will never be guilty of the act
• But the man or woman that harbors lust in their heart, will eventually commit the act
Mental adultery is a favorite American pastime, it is a common "little fox" that defiles many souls.
Millions are stimulated to participation of this sin in the heart and in the act, by the merchants of filth and smut. This thriving business is seen in magazines and papers, on TV and in movies, on billboards, the Internet, and in advertising, and books, etc., etc.
And if looking is such a grave sin, what of those who commit the prevalent sin of Bathsheba, by dressing and/or undressing so as to encourage or tempt such looking?
There are many attractive people who dress each day for one purpose, to cause the opposite sex to lust for their bodies. They walk around saying, “Well, I can not help it if the opposite sex lusts for my body, it is not my fault, it is their fault.”
Wrong! If you run around with no clothes on and cause this to happen, you are as much to blame if not more, because you caused the problem. But not only that, if you dress to cause the opposite sex to lust, and that individual is sexually aroused and goes down the road and rapes some woman, you are as guilty of the rape as the person who committed the act. YOU CAUSED THE ACT TO HAPPENED!
The Lord teaches that the passions of the flesh must be mastered and subdued at any cost. Extreme sacrifices may be necessary, and should be decisively made.
Look at Matthew 5: 27-29, we read, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
WHAT IS THE LORD TALKING ABOUT IN THESE VERSES?
He is saying that everyone has to master their passions, even if it requires extreme measures.
• If you can not look at the opposite sex without lusting, then it would be better to have your eyes removed
• If you can not keep you hands off of the opposite sex, it would be better to have your hands removed
The world in which we live takes adultery lightly, but God does not! One of the quickest ways to get into trouble with God is through PHYSICAL ADULTERY and HEART ADULTERY.
Conclusion:
Today, when you have schools and the Olympics passing out condoms, it shows how lightly the sin of adultery is considered.
Many adults have made mistakes in this area of life, and the scars of adultery will be something they will have to live with. God will forgive them of their sins, but these scars will always be there as long as they live.
I would like to plead with the young people in the congregation, keep yourself pure. Certainly you can go out and do like other young people, and commit PHYSICAL ADULTERY or HEART ADULTERY, but if you choose to do this for momentary pleasure, you will pay for it the rest of your life. When you stand at the sacred altar of marriage, you will stand as used merchandise.
Illus: Jawanza Kunjufu, in his book, Restoring the Village, writes: When I was a 14-year-old high school freshman, school was dismissed early for a teachers' meeting. I conveniently neglected to tell my parents about the change and arranged to bring my girlfriend over to my house. We weren't planning to study.
As we were going up the steps, my neighbor, Mrs. Nolan, poked her head out of a window and said, "You're home awfully early, Jerome." "Yes, Ma'am," I said, improvising a lame story about how we planned to review algebra problems.
"Does your mother know you're home this early," Mrs. Nolan persisted, "and do you want me to call her?" I gave up. "No, Ma'am. I'll go inside and call her while Kathy sits on the porch."
Mrs. Nolan saved our careers that day. If Kathy had gotten pregnant, she might not have become the doctor she is today. And my father had warned me that if I made a baby, the mutual fund he set up for me to go to college or start a business would have gone to the child. I'm glad Mrs. Nolan was at her window, looking out for me. (Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.)
We need to do everything we can do to fight this sin of lust.
• It is destroying marriages
• It is destroying the lives of our young people
As we close, we do need to make a distinction, He does not forbid the "look of admiration or of affection," but He forbids the lustful look.
I. THE SIN OF PHYSICAL ADULTERY
II. THE SIN OF HEART ADULTERY
