Scripture: Mt. 5:27-32; Luke 10:11; Lu.16:18; Mt. 19:3-9 Date: 5-30-99- GNBC
Intro: Today's message discusses three relatively unpleasant matters. Very serious issues. Very serious message. That's why I thinkI will start sermon w/humorous antedote: "A lady had gone thru 4 marriages: 1st- millionaire, 2nd film producer, 3rd butler, 4th a funeral director. Someone asked: "Why did you marry all those guys?" She said: "Well, I married 1 for the money, 2 for the show, 3 to get ready, and 4 to go!" Thank you for indulging me, because topic is pertinent. Even this past week found out another minister drummed out of church (rightly so) for these very issues.
Prop: Today we will see Christ clearly address three manifestations of sexual sin.
BG: 1. Mt. 5:27-32 is cont. of SOM, Xst expounds the 7th command, Thou Shall not Commit Adultery.
2. In this passage Xst addresses 3 sensitive subjects: adultery, accomodating sinful desires, and divorce. I hope you don't expect me to address every aspect exhaustatively, don't have that expectation!
3. Yet, sexual sins of adultery, lust and divorce is major problem in the church today, and few willing to address. Doesn't help to hide out on the issue.
Prop: Today we will examine three issues Xst addresses in relation to sexual sin.
I. 1st Issue: Xst's Prohibition Against Adultery - vv.27-28
A. In this passage we see Xst clearly affirming the 7th Commandment.
1. In Ex. 20:14- 7th Commandment stated- "Thou shall not commit adultery."
a. Without a doubt the most serious violation of marriage is adultery, which was excoriated in the OT 2nd only to idolatry, and in NT 2nd to none. By definition, adultery is the physical union of a spouse with someone other than the spouse.
b. Marriage of a man and woman (only legitimate form of marriage) regardless of all this liberal theology's mickmash of "loving/consensual/affirming/covenantal relationships" is the fabric of society, it is the 1st institution ordained of God, preceding even the Church.
2. Yet, adultery is being advised as allowable by advocates w/in our society.
a. Illust- Has emerged out of "free love generation" a whole tribe of psychiatrists, psychologists, as well as theologians affirming familial aberrations. Saying such a lifestyle is beneficial therapy for boring marriages, exhilirating for those mutually agreeing! Illust- Robertson McQuilkin quick to note: "Adultery has come full circle. First it was seen as self-consciously illicit, then justified in "true love" b/t paramours, next justified ideologically as good thing, and dinally total promiscuity so long as love is not involved!" (p. 207)
b. Illust- result= USA today poll several years ago, 39% of male respondents and nearly 30 % female respondents said anonymously they had cheated on spouse. Pollsters assume actual higher.
c. Illust Lewis- "The monstrosity of physical union outside of marriage is that those who indulge in it are trying to isolate one kind of union, sexual, from all the other kinds of union which were intended to go along w/it and make up the total union."
B. In This Passage Xst Makes a deeper application of the moral law of God.
1. Jesus Clearly Condemns Mental Adultery.
a. In time of Christ, Pharisees one was acceptable spiritually as long as abstained from act even if mind was filled with lustful perversion and adulterous thoughts of another woman than wife.
b. Thus, it is not merely the act, but the desire that constitutes sin. The former deals w/actions, the latter attitudes; the former w/deeds, the latter w/desires; the former w/means, the latter w.motives; the former w/the hand the latter w.the heart!"
2. Clearly this teaching is being despised and reviled today!
a. Illust- Jimmy Carter- 1976 election, Dem. cand. Jimmy Carter asked if ever unfaithful. Said sadly, he had committed "adultery in his heart". Press howled and scoffed. Honest, sensitive, religious man. Twenty years later, Pres. from same denomination commits adultery in Oval office and that same press defends him. God help us as a nation!
b. Illust- Abigail Van Buren- people have read her grandmotherly advice for a generation. Yet, senior sage regularly advises readers to practice fantasy w/in phys/ relationship of marriage. Was even once quoted as saying the following about this teaching of Xst: "This is one of the most damaging religious teachings ever perpetrated on human race." Excuse me!
C. Applic: Adultery, whether physically or mentally is entirely outlawed by Jesus Christ.
II. 2nd Issue: Christ's Prohibition Against Sin's Helpers to Lust- vv.29-30
A. Christ Takes a Much more Serious View of Sin then We do!
1. Christ never trivialized Sin, nor should we.
a. Possibly if we had to endure the agony and pain and separation of Calvary we would not trivialize sin! For Christ certainly never trivialized sin.
b. Read seriousness of Christ's statements herein: pluck out eye and cut off hand. Why the eye? Why hand? "The eye is the gateway to the mind, the hand represents the instrument for doing evil."
2. How can we apply this teaching into our lives today?
a. No one I know, self included, rushing out to be literal about this! Yes, it is figurative language, but could apply- You might need to cut off a significant relationship that is leading to sin, or quit a vocation that involves sin, etc.
b. See, herein many Christians assime that since we are not under law, but under grace, we are not subject to the rigid requirements of the OT saints. Yet, see herein Jesus' demands go deeper, higher, further!
B. Do Not Accomodate Sinful Desires
1. Accomodating the lusting eye or hand will result in damage.
a. Illust- Consider but a few men in Scripture brought low by the uncontrolled glance: Achan - Josh. 7- not a woman, but a wedge of gold and silver -entire family destroyed, Samson in Ju.16- harlot in Gaza, eventually cost his eyes, strength, pride, and life; david- II Sam. 11:2- Bathsheba- cost lives of men, honor, sons and strife, and almost kingdom. We need to be men and women like Job -31:1 - "I have made a covenant w/my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?"
b. Do not be guilty of defrauding another person with the clothes you wear. Be careful you do not lead another to lust. Certainly society dictates clothing styles, etc., and there will always be a propensity to lust regardless of how conservative clothing is (or have you forgotten what they wore in Christ's time- make Amish look fashionable) Yet, the Christian gets his or her leading from God and not Gucci. And as Rom. 14 states, we are not to cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble. Neither, are we older Xstians to condemn newer believers for not having the same convictions after 6 mo. or a year that have taken us 10 or 20 yrs. to develop. M. Henry- "Men sin, devils tempt to sin."
2. Do Not Accomodate Sinful Desires Because the Punishment is Real, Lasting, and Eternal.
a. Christ warns that a continual accomodation of sin's desires will result in damnation. -Illust- Gehenna - hell
b. Eternity is real, hell is real and lasting. The furnance of vengeance is heated and ready for all who reject Christ. If Nebuchadnezzar's wrath resulted in the furnance being seven times more hot,for the three Hebrew children, how hot is the burning furnace of the Lord God Almighty, seventy times seven?
C.Applic: Beware of Christ's serious prohibition against lusting.
III. 3rd Issue: Christ's Prohibition Against Divorce vv.31-32
A. Christ's Words Should be heeded in our Era of Easy Divorce.
1. Divorce is reeking havoc on our nation.
- Today we know that nearly 1/2 of all marriages will end in divorce! Terrible! 75% of these will remarry, and 60% of these already have children. Some are predicting that within another five years step-families will outnumber traditional families. Biggest contributor to poverty, etc.
2. Unfortunately, often Xstians jump on society's bandwagon without ever reading the Bible.
a. Illust- I have seen Christians want to divorce their spouses for all sorts of creative, and might I say, unbiblical, reasons.: an addiction, lack of initiative, not good provider, verbal or physical abuse, (separation is allowable), no! Not allowed.
b. Yet, many Christians will quickly point to v. 32 as justification. So popular, has become known as "the adultery clause"- I wish would take time to study passage- "unchastity"- in Greek, is term for fornication- if it is used technically (many conservatives will disagree w/ me on this), is a term that by definition only relates to those unmarried. Married people commit adultery, unmarried commit fornication. You might ask: "Why then is a certificate of divorce required?" Because this was the custom in the time of Christ for betrothal or what we have termed "engagement". If don't believe me, look at Mt. 1:19 - Is exactly what Joseph was going to do to Mary when found out she was with child during their engagement. Not married.
B. Divorce is not an option for the Christian.
1. Christian marriage is a covenant, not a contract.
a. As a covenant, it is eternal and lasting, it is made in the site of God. (If your spouse is here today, turn and look at and repeat: "Till death do us part". And if you had a fight on way to church today, just a reminder, ban on murder or suicide still has not been lifted from God's Word.
b. Illust- Hosea although true story, is also a visual representation of God and His love for Israel, God forgave Israel's continual unfaithfulness. Commanded Hosea to marry Gomer, a wicked harlot, and yet tenderly forgive her repeated transgression as a testimony of God's faithfulness. God has told us we will be forgiven as we forgive others. How can you claim to be a Christian and not be willing in time to forgive the one who is to be closest relationship on earth?
2. What am I to do if I have been divorced and am a Christian now?
-Illust- Many find selves in this condition. Feel extremely guilty. Maybe even allowing to harm present marriage. Let me ask you: How do you scramble an egg? How do you put it back together again after you have scrambled? Can't. Restore relationships as well as possible, and seek to live as an example of God's grace.
C. Applic: Commit your marriages to the long-haul and don't ever allow the "d" word to enter into your conversation.
Conclusion: Nearly 20 yrs. ago Marriage and Divorce magazine (not one I recommend) gave the following statistics: "Right now, 1 in 3 marraiges end in divorce. However, where the couple was married in the church, the divorce rate was nearly one in fifty. Finally, in a marriage where couple married in the church, attend worship together each Sunday, andpray and read Bible together, divorce rate is 1 in 1105! That's the difference Christ makes in a marriage!
