Title: Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery
Bible Book: Exodus 20 : 14
Author: Kenneth Hendricks
Subject: Adultery; Ten Commandments
Objective:
Introduction
{13297696110780}Probably the most ignored and least considered command of all is the 7th commandment - Thou shalt not commit adultery! Adultery is the name God gave to those sexual relationships established by a married person with someone other than his or her legal partner. Simply put, it is unfaithfulness to your spouse!
We don’t take seriously the oath of marriage. Unfaithfulness is the most accepted form of oath breaking in America! It is basically the only oath that can be broken and accepted by millions of people. We simply don’t respect the institution of marriage in the same way we do other oaths and institutions. Notice what God says about this command.
I. What this command applies to, vs. 14.
A. The family, vs. 14.
Thou… vs. 14.
Again, as with every other command God has given, the word 'thou' is a strong word. The husband and wife are to be faithful to one another. Listen closely now! The mother and father constitute what is known as the “American Family”. They are foundational to it! Sure, there are children that are part of the family but the real point we miss is that mother and father are the family; they create it, they raise it, they guide it, they live it, and they care for it. Mother and father are the family even when there are no children. Get the point here! They can also destroy it! When a child leaves home and takes a spouse it brings joy and expectations. When a spouse leaves home and takes a new spouse it brings brokenness, sadness, incompleteness, fear and leaves the family unity undone. Thou husbands and wives, this means you! You hold it together! If each of us do what we’re supposed to do then we do away with the fallacy.
Notice not only the family but also:
B. The fallacy, vs. 14.
Thou, vs. 14.
Thou is you; the fallacy is that we think it applies to someone else. How? I deserve better; you don’t know what I’m going through; I’d be happy if I had your wife. Most second marriages are not better than the first; in fact, 50% of first marriages fail but 70% of second marriages fail. They’re different; we handle things different; we act different and we try not to make the same mistakes we made in the first marriage. If most people worked as hard to please the one they’re married to as they work to please the one they’re cheating with they’d have a great marriage! Notice not only what this command applies to but also:
II. What this command implies, vs. 14.
A. A marriage can be loving, vs. 14.
…not commit… vs. 14.
Do you think God didn’t know that sex was important? Did He not care? He does! He gives the command because it can be kept, obeyed and enjoyed! Listen! Sex has ruined more marriages than it has made! Sex doesn’t make a marriage, or even a decent relationship, sex is immaterial. Embracing each other in love is what makes a marriage! Understanding each others likes and dislikes, giving each other their due and considering one another makes a marriage. A sexual embrace from husband and wife is a gift from God. It is a time to thank Him and worship Him for giving us such a wonderful gift. Husbands, wives, sex can be great if it’s done God’s way!
Not only do we see a marriage can be loving but also:
B. A marriage can be lost, vs. 14.
…commit adultery., vs. 14.
Need I say more on this point? The worse form of rejection you can hand out is unfaithfulness! You may stay together, you may do well and you may heal but your marriage will never be the same. Once you let another man or woman into that part of your life it will leave an indelible mark in your mind and marriage. You can be sorry but you can’t take it back. You can make excuses but you can’t make it go away. Your spouse will hurt the rest of his or her life no matter how hard they try to forget! Don’t travel that road! You can obey this command!
Now let me ask you this, how many of us would really trust someone who cheated on their husband or wife and kids to get us? Would they do the same to us? Probably! I say, look out! I thank God that He has healed so many and given second chances to so many. Maybe it’s not too late and you want to recommit to your marriage today. If you do, take your spouse by the hand and tell them.
