Verse 27, you've heard that it
was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. This is one of the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt not commit adultery. What is adultery? Adultery is
unlawful, intimate relationships outside the marriage covenant.
Within the marriage covenant, intimate relations are ordained
of God. Hebrews 13.4 says, marriage is
honorable in all and the bed undefiled. That's what the word
of God says. But whoremongers and adulterers,
God will judge. Now who created this intimate
act between the husband and wife? God did. God did. He created this. It's given to
illustrate union with the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a picture
of the oneness of Christ with his church. The two shall become
one flesh. Now, love does not begin with
this act. It ends there. Two people who
love one another and have made a commitment to each other for
life until death alone shall part them, entering this covenant
of marriage. It's a covenant that is not to
be dissolved. Now, you can't commit adultery
without marriage. You have to be in the marriage
covenant to commit adultery. You have to be married, and I'm
sure other kinds of sexual sin are included under this commandment,
but he's talking about marriage, and we know that because of what
he says about divorce as we go on looking in this passage of
scripture. Now, when two people live together without getting
married, all they say is that they do not love each other enough
to commit themselves one to another for life. If you did, you'd get
married. And this also shows how hardened
people can become towards sin. All restraints are gone. No fear
of God when someone lives in that manner. Now, the physical
intimacy is the end of a complete commitment to one another. Faithfulness to a spouse is beautiful,
isn't it? It's beautiful. We admire it
when we see it. Marriage is God's way. This marriage covenant, this
commitment for life to see no one else is God's way. And the primary purpose of marriage
is to mirror the relationship between Christ and his church.
Turn to Ephesians 5, a familiar passage of scripture. I read this in a wedding yesterday. Verse 22. Wives, submit yourselves
unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. And let me say this
before I go on. I remember when I was young,
when Lynn and I were first married, I would say, submit. That's the
dumbest thing to tell someone to submit. I did it though. Submit. Um, you can only submit because
you want to, not because somebody tells you to, but because you
want to for Christ's sake. And that's why a woman submits
to her husband because she wants to for Christ's sake. Let's go
on reading for the husband is the head of the wife, even as
Christ is the head of the church and he is the savior of the body.
Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives
be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives even
as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that
he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water
by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church.
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. but that it should
be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself, because they're one. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord
the church, for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and
of his bone. For this cause shall a man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife. and they too shall be one flesh. Now, I love this next verse.
This is a great mystery, but all this stuff I'm saying about
marriage, I speak concerning Christ and the church. That's
the purpose of marriage. I speak, everything I'm saying,
I speak concerning Christ and the church. I love the way the
church is called the bride of Christ, the wife of the Lamb. Don't you love that language?
To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white, the righteousness of the saints, the glorious wedding
garment. Now, in the covenant of marriage,
your spouse is the only one you look to for everything. It's the same in the marriage
of the church to Christ. We are to look to Him only. And if I don't look to Him only,
I am committing spiritual adultery. which is worse than physical
adultery. Physical adultery is a horrible
thing. You think of the problems it creates in our society, the
great sin against God, the homes broken up, all the lives wrecked
because of this horrible sin. But spiritual adultery is worse
because of who the sin's against. This husband, this glorious husband,
and to look somewhere other than him, Now, faithfulness to Christ
is to look to Christ only as my wisdom. The only reason that God can
have fellowship with me and embrace me and have communion
with me, and this idea of communion, it's Him communing with me, me
communing with Him, where there's a relationship with the living
God. The only way that can be, God can only commune with a very
wise person and Christ is my wisdom before God. He himself
is my wisdom. I look to him as my wisdom, as
the reason why God can commune with me. The Lord Jesus Christ
is my righteousness before God. Remember that scripture of Him
are you in Christ Jesus? God has made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Jesus Christ
is my righteousness before God. And if I look to my own personal
obedience to some law as any part of my righteousness, I'm
committing spiritual adultery. And like I said, that is worse
than physical adultery. Christ is my sanctification. Christ is my holiness before
God. I look, I'm holy. I'm holy. And Christ Jesus the Lord is
my holiness before God. That's why God could embrace
me. I look nowhere but Christ. To look anywhere else is spiritual
adultery. Christ is my redemption. He's
redeemed me from my bondage. I look to Him only as the only
reason for my redemption and my deliverance. To look anywhere
else other than Christ only is spiritual adultery. Just as in
a marriage, if I look to anyone other than Len for anything,
that's adultery. It goes farther than the physical
act. If I look to anyone other than Christ for anything or any
experience of mine. That is spiritual adultery. To find all my assurance in looking
to Him is everything. Looking unto Jesus, the author
and the finisher of our faith. That's how I look to him. I look
to him as the author of my faith, the one who gave it to me, as
the object of my faith, as the subject of my faith, as the one
who finishes it. David said in 2 Samuel 23 5,
although my house be not so with God. One of my favorite scriptures.
Although my house be not so with God. David's house was a mess.
And he could have also meant this house. this house, this
physical body, this body of sin. Paul said, O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin? Although my
house be not so with God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure. And this is all my
salvation and all my desire, though he make it not to grow. Now, adultery is a great sin. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Physical adultery is a great
sin, and spiritual adultery is an even greater sin. And can't you see the goodness
of God in giving us this command? What mercy He shows in giving
us this command. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Now let's go on reading, verse
28. of Matthew chapter 5. You've 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. Now, the Pharisees only understood
the letter of the law. If I do not commit this physical
act, then I have not committed adultery, very much the way they
thought about murder. You'll remember from the last
time, look in verse 21 of Matthew chapter five. You've heard that
it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not kill. And whosoever
shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. Well, I'm okay
on that one. I've never killed anybody. I really haven't. I've
never murdered anybody physically. But I say unto you that whosoever
is angry with his brother without a cause, being jealous or envious,
shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his
brother, Rekha, vain fellow, shall be in danger of the council,
but whosoever shall say, thou fool, you worthless, immoral
reprobate, you fool, shall be in danger of hellfire, when you
make that judgment of your brother. Therefore, if you bring your
gift to the altar, and there you remember that your brother
hath ought against thee, leave thy gift there before the altar
and go thy way. First, be reconciled to thy brother,
Then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary, the
one that brings you in the law quickly, when he says, you're
guilty of murder. Agree with him quickly, while
thou art in the way with him, lest at any time the adversary
deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the
officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee,
thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the
uttermost farthing. Now that's the spirituality,
the law. It's not just the physical act. Everybody in here has been
guilty of multiple murders. When you read that passage of
scripture of what he says murder is, and it's the same way with
adultery. Well, I've never committed the physical act, but I say unto
you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart. Now, on the surface,
you can see that the Pharisees had what would be called a very
superficial view of the law. They didn't realize, you know,
even the law, it says in covetousness. Remember it says, thou shalt
not covet thy neighbor's wife. What's that been adultery? Same
thing, but they had a very superficial view of the law. If I can keep
from committing this physical act, I'm not committing this
sin. Well, Verse 28 is all it takes
to commit this sin. Whosoever looks on a woman to
lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart. And this tells me several things.
It tells me, first of all, that sin is not just an act. Sin comes
from the heart. You see, you don't become an
adulterer when you commit the act. You commit the act because
you're already an adulterer in your heart. Sin comes from the
heart. Sin is a heart matter. Sin is
a nature. It's not just acts. It's a nature. You might not have committed
the physical act, but if you had this desire in your heart,
you've already committed the act according to the scripture.
You sin because you're a sinner. You don't become a sinner when
you sin. You sin because you're already a sinner in your heart.
Look at Matthew chapter 15. Verse 17, Do you not yet understand
that whatsoever entereth in the mouth goeth into the belly, and
is cast out into the drop? But those things which proceed
out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the
man, for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts. Murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies, these are the things
which defile a man, but to eat with unwashing hands defiles
not a man. You see, sin comes from the heart,
an evil heart of unbelief. Now, I think this is interesting.
When Adam fell, what's the first thing that's pointed out about
him? He knew he was naked. First thing, when his eyes were
opened, he knew he was naked. He was naked before that. But
it wasn't an issue. It wasn't an issue. He didn't
have an evil nature. He didn't have a fallen nature. People could
walk around like that and it wouldn't make any difference.
But now that he has a fallen nature, oh, the change that has
taken place. Why? He's a sinner. Now, this
is a sin everybody has committed. And it is a sin that it is impossible
for anybody to prevent it from taking place. I know Job said,
I made a covenant with my eyes, but he didn't keep his covenant.
He didn't keep his covenant. And you know, inability to not
keep from committing this sin does not negate responsibility.
And you know what all we can do before this is? Plead guilty
as charged. Guilty as charged. Man is an evil, depraved creature,
and this shows us something of the true nature of sin and our
powerlessness before it. When you look at this, whoever
even looks on a woman, to lust after her. Well, if I did it in my heart,
I might as well do it physically. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Don't even think that. I know everybody thought that.
Well, if I did it in my heart, no, no. But still the fact of
the matter is everyone is guilty of this particular sin and more
powerless to stop that. Now, that is why I was thinking
about this. That is why I need for election
to be by free unconditional grace. I flat out need that. I need
God to choose me to be saved freely. Because if he has to
find a reason in me to save me, he will not find one. It must
be free. I need Christ's grace. blood
to wash away my sin because there's nothing I can do to get rid of
it. The only way that it can be washed away is for the blood
of Christ to put it away. I need the blood of Christ. I
need the death of Christ. I need God the Holy Spirit to
give me a new heart. I need Him to give me a new nature
because I can't come up with the goods. I just can't do it.
I need the sovereign grace of God to save me. I need it to
be utterly free. I tell you what, I need to hear
this preach too. I surely do. I need to hear the gospel of
God's grace preached every time I hear. Only God could do anything
about this, and he did. Aren't you thankful? He that
spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him freely give us all things? Now, let's go on
reading. He 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. Now remember the context.
He's talking about sexual sin. So he says in verse 29, and if
thy right hand offend thee, or if thy right eye offend thee,
if it causes you to look upon a woman and to lust after her
in your heart, if your right eye offends thee, pluck it out.
Cast it from thee. Get rid of it. 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 defend
thee, cut it off. If it causes you to sin, 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. Now this shows us just how serious
this sin is. If your right eye offends you,
Pull it out, throw it away. Now, our Lord also warns us about
a place called hell in this, doesn't he? Now, I've heard people
say, this is literal. You really ought to do this.
You ought to be so much against sin that if your eye causes you
to offend, you ought to pluck it out. And you ought to cut
your right hand off. You really ought to do that.
You know what I say? You first. You first. After you do it, I'll
do it. That kind of stuff. You know,
somebody says that the Lord is not teaching mutilation. He's
not telling us that literally rip out our eyes or cut off our
hands. That's pure. Somebody says, you
know, you ought to do it. Go ahead. I'll watch you. And
when you do it, I'll be right behind you. You know, it's just.
That's just hypocritical when people say something like that
because somebody that says that, they've done it. They've done
it probably more than anybody else has. As a matter of fact,
if you ever hear somebody going against something, that's what
he's guilty of. You can just write it down. When you hear
a preacher just hammering on something, that's what he's guilty
of. That's why I make sure I never hammer on anything. But it's true, you would be better
off maimed than to have hands or feet to be cast into hell,
or eyes cast into hell. Now the thought's not over, let's
go on reading. He says, if thy right hand defend thee, cut it
off, cast it from thee, it's profitable for thee that one
of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should
be cast into hell. And he goes on to say in verse 31, it hath
been said, and remember, the thought is adultery. It hath
been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, Let him give her
a writing of divorcement. That's in the scripture. That's
in the scripture. If a man, the scripture actually
says, if a man finds some uncleanness in his wife, let him give her
a bill of divorcement. And the Lord told us when they
said, why did Moses say this? He said, because of the hardness
of your heart. That's why. But look what the Lord says.
It has been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give
her a writing of divorcement. But I say unto you, that whosoever
shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causes her to commit adultery. And whosoever shall marry her
that's divorced, committeth adultery. Now this is what God says about
the marriage covenant. Christ says this, these are not
my words, these are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
gives us one legitimate reason for adultery. Adultery is the reason for divorce,
adultery. sexual sin. That's the one legitimate
reason he gives, and these are his words and not mine. And even then, it's better to
forgive than to go in that direction. Now, I want you to think about
this. Marriage. When two people become married,
they don't ever intend to be adulterers, do they? I mean,
that's never anybody's intention. You get married, you want to
be faithful to your spouse, you love your spouse, and you think
nothing could ever happen that would make it that way. And that's
your intention. I bet everybody in here that ever got married,
their intention was to remain completely faithful to their
spouse. But so many things can happen
that make a bad marriage. So many, many things. And if you know yourself, you
know that's the truth. There's so many things. And you
also got to remember this, when someone commits adultery, that's
a horrible thing. There's no excuse for it. There's
no excuse for it. But quite often, their spouse
has a whole lot to do with that. And if their spouse maybe would
have been different, maybe it wouldn't have taken place. I
mean, there's always, are you saying it's okay? No, I'm not
saying it's okay, but I'm saying there's so many complications. Flesh, people are so weak. People
are so sinful. People are so selfish. I love
that. We had a wedding here yesterday,
and when Chris closed in prayer, Chris Cunningham, pastor down
in Nashville, he said, oh, give them grace to cover one another's
faults. and to forgive one another. What
a wonderful way to be. To cover one another's faults. That's what people do that love
each other. They cover one another's faults and they forgive one another. But you know, being stuck in
a bad marriage, it's bad, but God said, I hate divorce. And
if you're in a bad marriage, well, you got in that marriage. And the only excuse that God
gives is this sexual sin. I know people can think, what
about this? What about this? I don't know. I don't know. I'm not even
going to go with all those other things. Well, what if somebody
beats their wife or what if somebody like, you know, I don't know,
but this is what the Lord gives. But I know this being stuck in
a bad marriage illustrates being under the law. Why don't you think about that?
Being stuck in a bad marriage illustrates being under the law
like a woman being married to a man who was unmerciful and
stern and cracked the whip and was not a good wife to her. Can
you imagine how miserable? There are people who endure miserable
marriages. And I admire somebody who does
that for Christ's sake, for the gospel's sake. Somebody that's
been in a miserable marriage where the spouse just mistreats
them. Turn to Romans chapter 7. Let
me show you this. Romans chapter 7. Now these are the words of Paul. They're the words of God. He
says, Know ye not, brethren, Romans chapter 7 verse 1, Know
ye not, brethren, for I speak to them that know the law. How
that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he lives. He might say, well, the law's
not gonna have dominion over me. Yeah, it does. Yeah, it does. And you can't get out from under
it. This is God's law. And the law has dominion over
a man as long as he lives. And he uses the example of marriage.
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband
so long as he liveth. If he's a cruel, unmerciful jerk,
if he's a knucklehead, if he treats her wrong, she's still
bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the
husband be dead, She's loosed. She is set free from the law
of her husband. He dies. She's no longer under
him. She's no longer obligated to
him. So then, if while her husband liveth, she be married to another
man, she shall be called an adulteress. But if her husband be dead, she
is free from that law. so that she's no adulteress,
though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren,
ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ." Now,
we're married by nature to the law. And you know what? The law's
not a very good husband. Now, the problem's not with the
law. The problem's with us. God's law is holy and just and
good and true, but it can't do anything for us because of who
we are. And because of that, the law
is not a very good husband. The law tells us to pluck out
our right eye and cut off our right hand. The law knows no
mercy. The law beats us up. Not a good
husband. Not a good husband. Verse four. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that you
should be married to another, even to him who is raised from
the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. You see,
when Christ died, all the demands of the law are answered. All
God's law does is look at me now and says he's not guilty.
He's not guilty. I'm not under that law. It's
been done away. I'm in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And you see, you can't bring forth fruit to God under law.
It can't be done. Only through the Lord Jesus Christ
can you bring forth fruit unto God. Well, what about the one
who's committed this sin? What about the one who is an
adulterer? What can be done about that person? We'll turn to John chapter eight.
I dealt with this not that long ago, but it's such a glorious
passage of Scripture. Let's look at it again in John
chapter 8. Verse 1. Jesus went unto the Mount of
Olives, and early in the morning He came again into the temple,
and all the people came unto Him, and He sat down and taught
them, and the scribes and Pharisees. These fellas weren't just back
then, they're right now. They're right now. This is the
religion of the natural man. It's your natural religion, it's
my natural religion. You don't have to look far to
find a Pharisee, just look within yourself. And look at the person
beside you. There you have two Pharisees
right there. That's the natural man's religion. The scribes and
the Pharisees. Brought unto him a woman taken in adultery. She was caught in the very act,
and indeed this is a wicked thing. She was unfaithful to her husband.
Perhaps her husband was good to her. She was unfaithful to
her husband, and she was caught by these scribes and Pharisees.
Were they... Was this a plant? How'd they
catch her? I mean, they must have been looking
for this. They must have set her up. I don't know, but at
any rate... She was caught. And I've always thought that
it's very interesting how the only one that's brought is the
woman. The man wasn't brought. He was participating in this
thing, and he was supposed to be stoned too, but somehow he
got off. They bring the woman. Caught in the very act. And they said her in the midst,
verse 4, they said unto him, Master, this woman was taken
in adultery. in the very act. I mean, there's
no doubt about her guilt. She is guilty. She did this horrible
sin. Now, verse five, Moses in the
law commanded us that such should be stoned. And you know what,
that is what the law commanded. When somebody committed adultery,
both of them were to be taken out and stoned to death. And
Moses, in the law, commanded that such should be stoned. But what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him,
that they might have to accuse him. These fellows thought they had
omniscience entrapped. They thought now if he says stoner,
We can say, we thought you were the friend of publicans and sinners.
Where's all this talk about mercy? And where's all this talk about
grace? And where's all this talk about kindness towards sinners?
Why, it's all talk. And then if he says, Let her
go. We can say, where's your respect
for the law of God? Why the law says stone her and
you're just showing complete disrespect for the law of God.
They thought they had the Lord in an impossible situation. They
thought there's no way he could get out of this. We've got him
trapped. And I love the way the Lord responds. But Jesus stooped down and with
his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. He stoops down in the sand and
he's writing. And I know this is speculation,
but I believe I know what he was writing. Thou shalt not commit
adultery. You see, remember this. The Bible
doesn't speak to other people. It speaks to you. Doesn't tell
other people what to do, tells you what to do. Thou shalt not
commit adultery. He wrote on the ground as though
he heard them not. Aren't you listening to us? No.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself and
said unto them, He that is without sin among you, and I have no
doubt that he meant this sin, let him first cast a stone at
her. And again, he stooped down and
wrote on the ground, Now, there are two times in the scriptures
that the finger of God is said to write, and this is the finger
of God writing, isn't it? This is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Two times the finger of God is said to write something. First,
the law. Thou shalt not commit adultery. And the second time the finger
of God wrote something was there in Daniel chapter five with regard
to Belshazzar. Thou art weighed in the balances
and found wanting. I kind of think maybe that's
what he wrote. Now, we don't know. But thou shalt not commit
adultery. And thou art weighed in the balances
and found wanting. Verse 9, and they which heard
it being convicted by their own conscience. You know, this made
them feel guilty. I mean, the Lord exposed their
hypocrisy. They felt guilty. It wasn't the conviction of the
Holy Spirit because they left the Lord. They were convicted
by their own conscience. So they wanted to get out of
his presence. That's all they wanted. You see, if it would
have been conviction of the Holy Spirit, they would have fallen
on his feet and asked for mercy. I'm the biggest hypocrite to
ever live. Would you have mercy on me? Would you save me by your
grace? Look in favor on me for Christ's sake. Oh, but no, they
left. Verse nine, and when they heard
it, being convicted by their own conscience, they 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 of
it. Can you imagine what a glorious place this is for this woman?
Standing there alone with the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the
best place me or you could ever be. Alone with Christ. Verse 10. when Jesus had lifted
up himself. Now remember, he stooped twice,
didn't he? And rode on the ground. He stooped
twice. And now he's lifted up himself
again. Now remember this, in the life of our Lord, there were
two stoops. First, how he stooped when he
became a man. The eternal Son of God became
flesh and took upon himself all the limitations of being a man.
What a stoop that was. But then there was another stoop.
Not only did he become a man, the scripture says he was made
sin. Now what a stoop that was. I
don't even know what I'm talking about. The Holy Son of God became
a man, and not only did He become a man, but on the cross, He was
made sin. For He hath made Him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. Somebody says, are you saying
Christ was a sinner? No, I'm not saying that. It's worse.
He was made sin. He was made sin. And I don't
have any idea what all that means. It's a horrible thing to think
about, but what a stoop. And then when he was raised up,
he looked at that woman, those two stoops. When Jesus had lifted
up himself and saw none but the woman, he saith unto her, woman, where are those thine accusers?
Hath no man condemned thee? Where are they? She said, no
man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither
do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more. Now, how is it that the Lord
could not condemn her when she was guilty? Because of those
two stoops. You see, he is now speaking to
her on resurrection ground. And he can look at her because
of his two stoops. And now he's raised again. And
he can say, there's nothing to condemn you for. You're not guilty. You stand perfect before God
himself. I don't condemn you. Now that
is how an adulterer can be saved. by the work of the Lord Jesus
Christ in their behalf. He said, go and sin no more. Now, what our Lord teaches about
adultery, two things, two things. Number one, it shows how powerless
we are before sin by nature. Now, you may not have committed
the physical act, And that's good, I'm glad. I've never committed
the physical act, I've been faithful to my wife. Physically, but there isn't anybody
who could look at what our Lord said after that and say, well,
I'm not guilty there either. It shows the utter power of sin. I can't prevent it. And it shows
me my utter need of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't you love
the way he dealt with that woman taken in adultery? He said there,
he made a way for him to be able to say to her, I do not condemn
thee. Nothing to condemn you for. Go
and sin no more. Let's pray together.