TRANSCRIPT
Tonight we have come to Exodus 20:14, which is the seventh commandment: "Thou shalt not commit adultery". Today, of all the pleasures in this world, perhaps sexual pleasure is the most sought after. Sexual pleasure is a gift from God, but it is a gift that can only be enjoyed within the confines of a faithful marriage relationship. So, in order for us to better understand this seventh commandment, we need to go back to the beginning, to the Book of Genesis, where God first instituted marriage.
I. The Meaning
Basically, there are four reasons why God instituted marriage in the beginning. Firstly, it was for the purpose of mutual helpfulness, that the man would lead his wife and his wife would be his helper and submit to his leadership. Secondly, it was for mutual companionship; God said that it was not good for man to be alone. Thirdly, it was for procreation, that man would be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth. And lastly, it was for the prevention of sin. Any sexual relationship outside marriage is forbidden.
In the beginning, God made a man and a woman, Adam and Eve; He did not make two Adams and one Eve or four Eves and one Adam. God's divine intention in the beginning was one woman and one man. Adultery was not only wrong, it was impossible; there was no option, there was no alternative; you only have one Adam and only one Eve. In other words, God had instituted a monogamous marriage.
But since the fall of man because of sin, man started to abuse God's gift of sexual pleasure, which was strictly to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage. With the procreation of man, the first thing we saw was the appearance of polygamy. Lamech in Genesis 4:19 had two wives; Jacob had two wives and two concubines; Elkanah, the father of Samuel, had two wives; David had seven wives and many concubines; and Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Needless to say, with the practice of polygamy came constant strife and trouble in the family. No husband has the capacity to love all his wives fully and equally, and no wife has the capacity to receive a rival to the husband's affection, love, and attention. Today, polygamy still exists among some primitive tribes and also the Muslims and the Mormons.
But man did not only abuse God's gift of sexual pleasure with the sin of polygamy; his desire was so perverted, distorted, and unnatural that led him to commit all kinds of immoral relationships like adultery, fornication, prostitution, incest, homosexuality, and other promiscuous relationships. In the New Testament times, these sins became so common that the Apostle Paul included sexual sins in every one of the many lists of sins, and in most instances, they were at the top of the list and received the greatest emphasis. For example, when the Apostle Paul describes the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19, at the top of the list was adultery and fornication.
What about today? Today, this abuse of God's gift of sexual pleasure has been increased, intensified, and promoted widely by popular media and pop psychology, which teach that true happiness is found outside of a faithful marriage, and they will tell you that marriage, as in a man and a woman, is only a man-made institution developed by society for the convenience of everyone. That is a blatant lie. The Bible teaches us that any sexual pleasure that is derived outside of marriage is outside of God's plan and it will bring the wrath of God. We can already see evidences of God's wrath upon sexual sins in the form of plagues like the HIV epidemic, the different kinds of sexual diseases, countless broken homes and broken families which lead to juvenile delinquencies, the shame of unmarried mothers, divorces, millions of abortions.
At first glance, this commandment seems quite easy to obey, as in the external, physical observation; as long as one does not physically commit the act of adultery, he or she is alright. But there is more than meets the eye. So let us first consider the meaning of this commandment. What does it mean to commit adultery? The simplest answer is that adultery is marital unfaithfulness or infidelity; it is a sexual relationship that breaks the bonds of a marriage covenant. So, the primary purpose of this commandment is to protect marriage. Adultery not only violates the trust between a husband and wife, but it breaks the marriage covenant, the promise made before God.
For this reason, the penalty for adultery was so severe that Leviticus 20:10 says, "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". It was very serious. You see, God is the one who instituted marriage in the beginning, and He takes the marriage covenant very seriously, and the sexual relationship within marriage seals the bond of matrimony. That is why, after a couple is married, they are said to have consummated the marriage, which means they have entered into a sexual relationship with each other.
God has blessed the couple with the gift of sexual pleasures only for each other and not outside of the marriage. Therefore, the husband and the wife are commanded not to deprive each other of the sexual relationship; they are now one flesh – the husband's body belongs to the wife, the wife's body belongs to the husband; they exclusively belong to each other. But when they are joined to someone else, the wrong things are joined together, and then when you try to undo it, to unstick it again, it will tear at the soul; it will be most painful.
So, adultery is strictly forbidden. In fact, the exclusive union between a husband and wife was used to illustrate the exclusive relationship between God and His people. In the same way that husbands and wives give themselves to each other without holding back, God gives Himself to us, and He wants us to give ourselves to Him without holding back. In the Old Testament, God often compared Himself, as in His relationship with His people, to that of a husband and wife. So, when His people were unfaithful, when they broke their love covenant with Him, they were guilty of committing spiritual adultery.
Likewise, in the New Testament, when Paul explained the mystery of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, he used the illustration of marriage. Maybe you can turn with me to Ephesians 5:31-32. Allow me to read for you Ephesians 5:31-32, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh” – then Paul went on to say – "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church". In other words, he was using the exclusive union of a husband and wife, the concept of one flesh, to illustrate the exclusive union of Jesus Christ and the church, the body of believers, you and me. So, it was very serious.
The sexual relationship within marriage can seal or break the marriage bond, the marriage covenant. So, God takes it very seriously, and He would do everything he can to protect it. Anything that comes in between it or seeks to destroy it is forbidden. Therefore, this seventh commandment forbids more than just the physical act of adultery.
II. The Requirement
This brings us to our second point: the requirement of this commandment. Allow me to quote Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 71: What is required in the Seventh Commandment? The answer is: The Seventh Commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbour's chasity, in heart, speech, and behaviour. Question 72: What is forbidden in the Seventh Commandment? The answer is: The Seventh Commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions. Notice the Westminster Shorter Catechism extended the seventh commandment beyond the physical act of a sexual relationship to include the preservation of our own purity and our neighbour's purity, and forbids all kinds of impure thoughts, words, and actions.
Why did they do that? You see, just like all the other commandments, this seventh commandment is also spiritual; it begins in the heart. Most adulterous relationships do not start with the actual committing of a sexual relationship, but they always begin in the heart; maybe some sinful thoughts they entertain in their minds, which then lead them to inappropriate behaviours, and finally the physical act is committed.
For example, a typical adulterous relationship may begin with a married man flirting with his colleague, who is a woman in the office, not his wife; they will spend much time together and start to talk about things that ought to be kept private; they will discuss each other's marital issues, and then they start to get physical, engaging in inappropriate behaviours, and finally, they will commit the physical act of a sexual relationship. Likewise, a married woman may begin by seeking emotional support from some other man, whether at work, at church, or on the Internet, and gradually, that emotional support will turn physical, and before she knows it, it will escalate to the physical act of committing adultery. That is the reason why this seventh commandment includes the preservation of one's purity in terms of his heart, speech, and behaviour, and it forbiddeth all kinds of impure thoughts, words, and actions.
In other words, a certain social distancing ought to be maintained, just like the physical distancing we practised during the COVID-19 pandemic. Why did we do that? To avoid contracting the virus, right? So why do we practise distancing ourselves from someone who is not our husband or wife? To avoid falling into temptation and sin.
As we have mentioned earlier, sexual relationship is only permitted within the confines of marriage, and that means it must only be reserved for marriage. So sexual purity also applies to singles as well. Couples who are dating would often wonder how far they can go. Until a couple is married, they do not have the right to enjoy the sexual relationship that is exclusively reserved for marriage alone, whether in any shape or form. So, the question is not how far we can go. Couples like to ask, ‘Can we kiss and hug each other? Can we go for holidays and stay in the same room?’ We should not be asking these questions, but rather, we should be asking, ‘How can we preserve our personal purity? How can I preserve the purity of the person whom God has brought into my life?’ Those who are unmarried must keep themselves pure from all sexual activities too.
So, this seventh commandment rules out any form of sexual immorality, or as the New Testament would often use, the Greek word for ‘fornication’. In other words, do not fornicate. Fornication is the sin of sexual activity with another person, and masturbation is the sin of sexual activity with oneself; both are forbidden, and marriage is the remedy that God gives for all those who struggle with these sins. What about those who cannot find life partners? Well, the Almighty God knows, and He will give them His grace and strength to overcome from the temptations, just as He had given some the gift of celibacy.
In understanding this seventh commandment, it is important to consider the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:27-28. Remember, Jesus said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery" – here, Jesus not only quoted the seventh commandment but He interpreted the meaning of it because He went on to say – "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart". Jesus was speaking not only about the external observation but the internal observation as well; this commandment not only covers the outward actions but the inward thoughts as well; it not only covers the deeds of the body, what you do with your body, but it also deals with the desires of the heart.
To lust after a woman or the man is to imagine the sexual possibilities. Jesus told his disciples not to look at anyone lustfully; looking is not the problem, the problem is looking at someone in a way that leads to sexual arousal; when we look at someone in that way, we are viewing that person as an object to gratify our sinful flesh; we are violating that person in our hearts and minds, and when we do that, Jesus said he has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
You and I should also apply this principle taught by Jesus to the reading of sexual literature or pornography. Today, we live in a day and age whereby the advancement of technology will enable us to press the button on our computer and then we can have all the immoralities in this world. The Internet can be a very useful resource if it is used carefully, but it can be extremely dangerous too. What makes the Internet dangerous is that it is anonymous, accessible, and affordable; anyone who owns a computer can download all the pornography, and the stream of sexual material is endless. We must be careful because a lot of people are less concerned about the sins of the heart, because they think that no one else knows. But God knows, and He sees into the innermost of our hearts and knows our thoughts. And when we do that, God says, you have committed adultery with her already in your heart. So, we must never do that; that was the reason why the Westminster Shorter Catechism forbids all kinds of impure thoughts, words, as well as actions, because it is based on the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.
III. The Solution
Our final point is: the solution to this commandment. In the Bible, there was the classic example of David who committed adultery with Bathsheba, which I think all of us are very familiar with, and the subsequent sin of murder in an attempt to cover up his sin of adultery. This is how sin works – one sin will lead to another.
There are some spiritual lessons we can learn from the failure of David. Remember, one day David was resting on his palace rooftop, and he saw Bathsheba washing herself. David was the king of Israel, and he was given certain responsibilities; he should be doing what God had called him to do, but instead, he retreated to his palace. In his idleness and isolation, he gave in to temptation. Now, this is a reminder to all of us; as the saying goes, the idle mind is the devil's workshop. When you and I are not doing the things God has commanded us to do, when we isolate ourselves from others, especially from Christian fellowships, that is when we are most vulnerable to temptations.
If David had simply caught a glimpse of Bathsheba, he would not have been guilty of committing adultery. But he did more than that – his glance became a gaze. Indeed, the eye is a window to sinful desires. One way to gain victory over sexual sins is to be careful with what we see and never to let our glance become a gaze. As Job 31:1 says, "I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?" We ought to follow what Job had said in that most wonderful verse; we make a commitment not to gaze. So sometimes we may glance at something that is immoral, but we remember this commitment we have made with God; we will not allow our glance to become a gaze – we nip it at the bud. Stop it, and not let it continue.
Obviously, lust started to take control of David's heart, and he began to fantasize, and he found himself unable to turn away; rather than fleeing from the temptation, he began to think how he could gratify his sinful flesh. So, he sent messengers to find out about the woman who happened to be the wife of Uriah, one of his trusted guards. That should have stopped David in his sinful pursuits, but remember, lust had already captivated his heart and mind. That is how lust works – it takes on a power of its own, pulling us deeper and deeper until we find ourselves powerless to resist it; that is how lust will work.
Since David was a king, he could do what most men can only dream of; if he wanted a woman, he could take her by force, and so he did. He took Bathsheba, slept with her, and committed the physical act of adultery, although long before that, he had committed adultery with her already in his heart. Remember what Jesus said: when you lust after a woman, or for that matter, a man, you have committed adultery with her already in your heart. According to the Mosaic law, David should have been stoned to death, but God was gracious and merciful to him; his life was spared, but there were serious consequences. Later on, his child died, and his other children had all sorts of troubles, and one of his sons Absalom even tried to kill him; it was most heartbreaking for David. However, he was forgiven.
Dear friend, adultery is a terrible sin, but it is not an unforgivable sin. Just as David cried out to God, "I have sinned against the LORD" (2 Samuel 12:13), and his full confession was recorded in Psalm 51, perhaps you have committed adultery, whether it be in your thoughts, words, or actions; you may have done some things that you ought not to do in the dark, and you thought no one knows, but God knows; you must repent and turn to the only One who is able to forgive you, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. And as David cried out in Psalm 51, “cleanse me” and “wash me” (Psalm 51:2), our Lord Jesus will cleanse and wash you of all your sins, but you must repent and turn to Him. Sins have very serious consequences, and we must never play the fool with sin.
Rather than giving in to the temptation of lust and falling into the sin of committing adultery, whether in our thoughts, words, or actions, we must resist it, and how can we do that? Allow me to reiterate the three practical points I gave in our Sunday's message about how to deal with temptation; I call it the three ‘F’s in fighting against temptation.
Firstly, it is to flee. Flee is a very strong word, which means to run, to escape. The moment you sense something is tempting you, it is time for you to flee. Run as fast and as far as you can. Perhaps in one of your surfing sessions on the Internet, you accidentally click a wrong address, and all of a sudden on your screen displays something that ought to be kept private, something that is immoral; what must you do? Should you linger on and behold? Remember, do not let your glance become a gaze; do not be drawn away; you must not feel the temptation, but rather you must flee the temptation; otherwise, you will be like the fish being led to the bait and later on hooked to death in it. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee also youthful lusts”. Run, run away from it, and not feel it.
Secondly, it is to follow; follow the path of righteousness and godliness. To follow the path of righteousness, we must refrain from engaging ourselves in anything sinful, anything that is contrary to God's Word; turn away; refrain. To follow the path of righteousness, we must not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But delight ourselves in the law of the LORD; and meditate in His law day and night (Psalm 1:1-2).
To follow the path of righteousness, we must follow the example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who Himself was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. The devil tempted the Lord Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, and each time our Lord Jesus responded quoting the holy scriptures, ‘It is written’, ‘It is written’, ‘It is written’ (Luke 4:1-13). So, you and I must know what is written; we must study the Bible diligently and know what is written, what is commanded of us. And in regards to this matter that we are facing, in regards to this temptation, how should we respond, what is written, and then we must obey the Word of God. So, we must follow.
Finally, it is to fight. Temptation will always try to have its way with us. As Christians, we must fight a good fight of faith; we must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, and we must put on the whole armour of God prescribed for us in Ephesians 6, so that we will be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. When you and I faithfully do that, the Holy Spirit who is indwelling in us, He will empower us to live victoriously; He will help us to overcome the temptations that so easily beset us.
This is the only way for us to deal with the temptation of sexual sins; this is the only way we will not fall into the sin of committing adultery, whether in our thoughts, words, or actions. We must flee, we must follow, and we must fight. May the Lord have mercy on us and help us to apply His word into our lives. Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, indeed, like the other commandments we have learned, often times we simply glance through them thinking that we have observed and obeyed those commandments. But just like all the other commandments, this seventh commandment is also spiritual, and it begins in the heart. It is not just the physical act of committing adultery; it is spiritual, and it begins in our hearts and minds. And often times we have fallen into this sin for we have lusted in our hearts.
Thou has reminded us about this wonderful truth that Thou will forgive us of the sins we have committed if we truly repent and turn to our Lord Jesus Christ. And Thou has also reminded us that the only way for us to fight against this temptation is that we must flee and not feel the temptation, and we must follow the path of righteousness and godliness, especially following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must know the Scriptures; we must know what is written in Thy Word and then obey Thy Word, and we must fight a good fight of faith instead of giving in to the temptations that easily beset us.
And the only way we can fight is to be strong in Thee and in Thy might, and Thou has prescribed for us that we ought to put on the whole armour of God, and the Holy Spirit will then help us, empower us to live victoriously, and then we can put a stop to all the sins and temptations that so easily beset us. Oh Lord, help us; we want to live such a life, a life that will glorify Thee, and may Thy Spirit work in our hearts in such a way that we will rise up to live this life to the glory and honour of Thee. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
