I'm a believer. Lord, remember
me. Let's take our Bibles and turn
back now to Matthew 5. Matthew 5. I want to deal with the subject
that the Lord dealt with. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Verse 27. The Lord is speaking and He says,
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not commit adultery. Now, the law, Exodus 20 verse
14, dealt with that subject. And this is what the law says
about it. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Pretty cut and dried. That's
the letter of the law. That's the letter that not only
the Pharisees but all men by nature hold to. I've never committed adultery.
I've never given myself to uncleanness with another other than my spouse. But I say to you, here the Lord
is going to set forth the spirit of the law concerning adultery. Now remember, as we said before,
He's the writer, He's the fulfiller, and He's the expounder of the
law. So here we understand that what
he's about to say is actually the fullness of what thou shalt
not commit adultery means. We understand according to our
Lord's words this, I say to you that whosoever looketh on a woman
to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart. What does that mean? Well, that
means that adultery is not limited to merely the physical act. That's
adultery, no doubt about it. But the actual act of adultery
includes the very thought and desire of the heart for another. Lustfully. Just like in the case
of murder. Carnal man thinks that he's free
from the violation of God's law because he actually has not physically
committed a very act, but in our heart. We're all guilty. Now let's just
go ahead and establish something right now. There is nobody in
this room that is not concerning God's law an adulterer. Nobody is innocent. If we say
that we have no sin, who have we made a liar? God. Because there's none good. No,
not one. The Scripture says, 1 Samuel
16, 7, The Lord looketh not as man seeth, for man looketh on
the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. We're so critical by nature of
the deeds of others, holding to the letter of the law those
things that we feel that we've been so faithful in. and criticizing
those things that we see in others so that we can justify ourselves. How many times have you heard,
well I tell you what, I've never... What? You've never what? You've
never what? The moment those words come out
of our mouths, we expose that we're nothing but Pharisees. That's the voice of a Pharisee. I can make good on that. Two
men went up in the temple to pray. One a Pharisee, one a publican. And the Pharisee stood with himself
and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee that I am not
as other men are. I'm not like that publican right
there. I this, that, and the other. That's the word, that's the voice,
that's the heart of a Pharisee. When we look at somebody else
and say, you have, and we think we're not guilty. You've heard
it said, but I say unto you. And so therefore, let it be established
right here concerning the word of the Lord. I say that whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart." Now I want you to listen to what
the Lord sets forth to deal with the very foundation of a man's
problem and realizing the fallacy of his carnal reasoning to think
that he can eliminate his own problem. Now what I just said
was this, what he's about to say in verse 29 and 30, he's
going to set forth what the real problem is, but also he's going
to set forth what man thinks is the real problem, and how
man thinks that he can fix it. Verse 29, if thy right eye offend
thee, Or if your right eye is the cause or the source of your
offense, is what he's saying. If I right eye offend thee, if
you think that that's the source of your problem, he just said
if a man looketh on a woman. Well if you think, okay, I can
eliminate this, I'll just pluck out my eye. If thy right eye is in your mind
the cause of your offense, 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 offended thee, if your hand that touched
another and held them, caressed them, if you think that your
hand is the problem. Cut it off. 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. Now remember, the Lord had told
His hearers that adultery was not limited to merely the physical
act of uncleanness, but to look on a woman, to lust after her.
It's taught that that look of lust brought a man under condemnation. So if you think that your offense
is your eye or your hand, cut it off. But let me inform us
all of something. The problem is not the eye. And
it's not the hand. A man could pluck out his right
eye and cut off his hand and what he would be is a one-eyed,
one-hand adulterer. What we need to realize is that
the source of our rebellion against God is a heart, a stony heart
of unbelief. And only the Lord can remove
that which is the offense against Him. Remove the offense. That's what Ezekiel 36, 25, 27. I'll give you a new heart. I'll
give you a new will. I'm going to give you a new man.
I'm going to create a new man in you, created in righteousness. Now there's a new man created
in every believer that, listen to this, doesn't sin. That's what God said. That which
is born of God sinneth not. You say, are you telling me that
there's a new man in me that doesn't commit adultery? Yeah,
I'm telling you that. Let me ask you this, have you
ever seen him? Have you ever seen him? Do you recognize him?
I don't either. But that doesn't change the fact
that he's there. Because God Almighty said he's there. And
God sees him. Paul cried out, who shall separate
me? my new man from the body of this death right here, who
will separate me from myself? The scripture sets forth that
the problem with our sin, with our attitude of murder, with
our attitude of adultery, is our heart. It has been said,
whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing
of divorcement. But I say, And whosoever shall
put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth
her to commit adultery. And whosoever shall marry her,
that is divorce, commiteth adultery. Now I'm going to tell you something.
Remember this. He's speaking spiritually. There's a spiritual
meaning set forth in here. The marriage state from the beginning
of the world was set forth to be a beautiful picture of what? the union between the Lord Jesus
Christ and his bride. That's what the scripture says
in Ephesians 5.23. This is a great mystery. Talking about a man and his wife,
Paul said, I speak concerning Christ and the church. And though man's fall in the
garden and the separation even of God's sheep, we all fell from
that blessed realization an enjoyment of that marriage state to the
one who betrothed himself to us in everlasting love. Though
the realization of that marriage to him and the enjoyment of that
marriage to him was broken in our mind, it never changed concerning
God and His church. Man's fallen Adam did not destroy
the legitimate state of marriage to the Lord Jesus Christ. The
scripture declares in Hosea 2, a beautiful passage, this is
what he said concerning his marriage to his people. Hosea 2, 19 and
20, I will betroth thee unto me. forever. Yea, I will betroth thee unto
me in righteousness, in judgment, in loving kindness, and in mercies.
I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou
shalt know the Lord. Now let me ask you this. Are
God's people married to the Lord Jesus Christ, even in a fallen
state of nature, of their old nature, when they never realized
it? Were they married to Him? We've always been His bride.
He's always been the husband. That's why He came into this
world, to seek and save us, to fulfill the law. Marriage was
established in this world to be that which set forth Christ
and His people. But something happened. Something happened in the garden. And that's where adultery first
evidenced itself. Now what did the scripture say?
If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out. If thy right hand
offend thee, cut it off. This holds you in place if you
want to turn to it. I'll just read this if you want to listen
to it. Genesis chapter 3. I'm going to read you the first
act of adultery that ever took place. Here it is. Here's the
first act of adultery. Genesis 3 verse 6, and when the
woman saw, what did she do? She looked. Her right eye. Her right eye looked at something.
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired, to make one wise, she took. Her right hand offended
her, didn't it? No. Sin. Sin was the root of her problem. Rebellion against God. She took
of the fruit and did eat and gave also unto her husband with
her and he did eat and their eyes were opened. Adultery, spiritual adultery
is not limited to the mere act of sexual immorality. the look
of rebellion, the hand of rebellion. We have all adulterated ourselves
and we were as Gomer in the book of Hosea, the unfaithful wife,
one that played the harlot with her faithful husband, picture
of Christ, going after other lovers thinking that those lovers
were the ones keeping and sustaining her all the while. Hosea, a picture
of the Lord, supplied everything she needed, everything that she
needed, bring her supplies, leave them at the door. She said, my
lovers gave all the while, while we were yet in trespasses and
sins, Almighty God's long-suffering to His people kept us. Here we were. We're the adulterer. We're the adulteresses. We're
the unfaithful ones. But did it ever negate the love
of God for His people? Did it ever negate the marriage
of His people? No. And Gomer, like all of God's
sheep in regenerating grace, was brought to be willing to
do something in the day of God's power. She said in Hosea 2.7,
after she was wasted, useless, ugly, defiled, Nobody wanted
her. Who wants her? Who wants a wore
out, rebellious harlot against God? Who wants that? Almighty God's been pleased to
set his affection. God loves you. We're all the adulterers. We're all the adulteresses. Gomer said, I will, Hosea 2.7,
I will go and return to my first husband. For then it was better
with me than now. Who was the first husband of
God's sheep? He's the only husband of God's
sheep. The Lord Jesus Christ, the one
who loved her and gave himself for her. And when we're brought
to see ourselves as we really are, made to know something of
the mercy and grace of God, That's our admittance too. That's when
we'll say it. We're like that prodigal. Came to himself. I'm going to go back to my dad's
house. Gomer said, I'm going to go back to my first husband.
The only one that's ever loved me. The only one that's ever
cared for me. The world might say, I got this
statement right here. I had an old boy that I was in
college with. And he and I, I guess we were
good buddies. We did everything wrong together.
Everything you could do rebellious, we did it together. I mean, we
were close, you know. One day the Lord was pleased
to reveal Himself to me. He called me. He was living down
in Georgia. Did real good. Elevated, I mean,
got his doctorate and all that kind of stuff. He was way up
the ladder. Called me one night and we was
chit-chatting. I tried to tell him what the Lord done for me.
He cussed me, Fred, for everything I was. Called me everything but
a milk cow. And this is what he said. This
is what I wrote right here. He said, I know you. I know you. Don't try to play that religious
card with me. That's what he said. He said,
Marvin, you've done the same things I've done. He said, we
just didn't get caught. I said, I know, I know, you're
right. I agree with you, I agree with you. But I said, Lord has
done something for me. And he was cussing while he was
hanging up. The world will say to God's people,
you claim, you claim to be so holy without blame before God
by your electing redeeming, regenerating, preserving grace, and you're
just like everybody else. You're just a sinner. And you
know what God's people will say? I agree with you. I agree with
you. But according to the Scriptures,
the Lord has answered for me. The Lord has put away my guilt. The Lord was made to be an adulterer. I'm the adulterer. I sinned against
God. And he was made to be an adulterer.
And he took my guilt. Made it to be his own. And he
laid down his life. And he satisfied God's law for
justice. What was God's law for justice?
Kill him. Kill him. That's what the law
says. That was the law. Man, woman caught in adultery,
what do you do? You kill them. That's how you
eliminate that. The law was fulfilled. He satisfied
the law for justice. Just like everybody else, in
myself, yes, I agree with you. But according to the Word of
God, He, the Father, hath made Him to be sin for us, He who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. And He took stinking, rebellious
harlots and rebels like us and cleansed us from our sins in
His own blood and robed us in His righteousness. And Almighty
God has accepted us in Him. Is the Lord married to a harlot?
No. He took that harlot, bore her
sin, put it away, robed her, cleansed her. Who is she? She's
a chaste virgin. No guilt. No guilt. No stain. No condemnation. No record. No record of it. You
show me the record. that will stand before God for
God's people. Oh, they know what they are themselves.
They know it and they admit it. But I'll tell you this before
Him, there is no guilt. No guilt. Turn to John 8 as I
close. John 8. Let me make something perfectly
clear. I want to tell you this. I don't want anybody to walk
out of here and say, well, I tell you what, the way Marvin was
preaching, he said there's nothing wrong with adultery. No, sir. Let me tell you this. No believer
condones adultery. Unfaithfulness is wrong. It's
wrong against God. It's wrong against man. It's
disobedience to God's law. It's totally disrespectful to
a spouse. It does nothing but cause pain
and resentment and distrust. And once that distrust is there, you'll never really get it all
back. You'll never get it back. You'll never get it back. Is
adultery okay? No. We agree with our adversary. We agree that we're wrong. But
here's the problem. What are we going to do about
it? What are you going to do about it? What are you going
to do? John 8, verse 1, Jesus went to
the Mount of Olives early in the morning. He came again unto
the temple, and all the people came unto Him. And He sat down
and taught them early in the morning. And the scribes and
Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. When they
had set her in the midst, they said unto him, Master, this woman
was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now here's the situation. Here's a group of Pharisees.
Here's some Jews. Real early in the morning, probably
been Grilling her all night, you know. Telling her how vile
she is, how wicked she is. Craftily, they come and they
set her right in the midst of everybody to see. Especially
the Lord. And they say, Master? All trying
to cover their evil design with that religious talk. There's
nothing that's more repulsive than a Pharisee. Master! Now Moses, in the Lord, commanded
us that such should be stoned. Now is that right? Yeah. Yeah, that's right. But what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him
that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down,
and with his finger rode on the ground, as though he heard them
not. The letter of the law, this is
Leviticus 20 verse 10 if you'd like to read it. You're caught
in adultery, you're stolen. This is what the law says. Now
what do you say? Trying to trap him. But the Lord
stooped down and He wrote with His finger. Kind of reminds me
of another time when the Lord wrote with His finger. In Exodus
31.18 when He wrote the law of God. And verse 7 to 9 says, When they
continued asking Him, He lifted up Himself and said unto them,
He that is without sin among you, let him cast, first cast
a stone at her. And again He stooped down and
rode on the ground, and they which heard it, being convicted
by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at
the eldest, even unto the last. And Jesus was left alone, and
the woman standing in the midst. Now, they pushed Him for an answer. He was writing in the ground.
Now we're not told what he wrote. Last time we read of what he
wrote, he was writing the commandments. Is that what he wrote again?
Did he write the Ten Commandments? Did he write down their names
and dates? He knew. He knew. What was he
writing? It didn't matter. But the Scripture
says, when He told them to examine themselves, if there be one there
that was found to be guiltless, let him cast the first stone.
And the Scripture says, because of the conviction of their conscience,
they started backing out. Beginning with the eldest, probably
the one who was the loudest accuser, the biggest mouth of the whole
group. And the Lord exposed these charlatans
for what they were. They were self-righteous bigots. She's an adulteress. And the
Lord said, yeah, and so are you. And they weaseled out of the
room. And then the Lord asked this guilty, and she was guilty. She's guilty. This guilty adulterous,
a question that should be a question of the greatest hope that any
of us would ever have. Again, am I condoning adultery?
No, I'm not condoning it. I told you it's wrong. Murder
is wrong. Hate is wrong. The next passage
in scripture is wrong. But the problem is we're guilty.
That's the problem. We're guilty. And which of us
has got the right to look at another one? You've got two guilty
people, one of them looking, pointing a finger at another
one, saying, you're just... That's foolishness. Mercy, forgiveness,
all of us realizing, but for the grace of God, we'd all be
cast into hell. The Lord asked her something,
verse 10. Then when Jesus had lifted up Himself and saw none,
But the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine
accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? For
one to be accused, proven guilty, the law required, Deuteronomy
19.15, if you'd like to, had to have two witnesses, at least
two witnesses. Do you have any witnesses here?
For you to be executed. One of the witnesses had to be
one of the ones that was actually in on the execution. Deuteronomy
17, 6 and 7. And in the case of this guilty
woman, there were no accusers that met the qualification that
the Lord set forth. You who are, now listen, without
guilt. You who are without guilt. You
cast the first stone. Now here's the best thing for
us to understand. The best thing for us to understand. Be quiet. Because there's none of us without
guilt. We're all guilty. Where are your
accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? And
she said, no man, Lord. None of these men could condemn
her. The Lord's getting ready to say something that's amazing. He said, I don't condemn you. I don't condemn you. Now let
me ask you this. Who must this woman have been? I'll tell you who she was. She was one of His sheep. This
was one of His sheep. You mean to tell me this harlot,
this adulteress, caught in the very act? Romans 8 verse 1 says, There
is therefore now no condemnation to them that be in Christ Jesus.
And for the Lord not to condemn her, she had to be in Him. For
her to be in Him, God had to put her in Him. before the foundation
of the world. That's the only way she could
have got there. That's the only reason He would have said, neither
do I condemn thee. Was He just being nice? No. He's
a just God and a Savior. Here was one for whom He was
going to the cross. That's the only way that she
could not be under His condemnation. The Father had seen Him slain.
He's getting ready to actually do it. There were no accusers. The law was satisfied. Justice
was served. There was no charge. She said,
no man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither
do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. The Lord never said she wasn't
guilty. He never told her that. She was guilty, just like we
are. But she was found to be not under
his condemnation. chosen vessel of God's mercy
before the foundation of the world. No condemnation laid to
her, it was laid on Him. He told her, He said, go and
sin no more. He forgave her, placed her under the constraint
of His love, and exhorted her to a life of faith in Him and
a walk of obedience by faith alone. That's every believer's. experience in regeneration, a
new nature imparted that sinneth not. That means that we will
never see any sin in us, oh no. We are going to struggle with
it until the day we die. But there is coming a time when
we won't struggle with it anymore. And in that day, when the Lord returns, we are
going to see Him. The one who put away the guilt
of this adulterer right here. Of these adulteresses, adulterers
right here. All of them that know Him, that
love Him. We're gonna see Him and see Him as He is. And be
like Him. Lord, remember me. Lord, remember me. All right,
Gary.