“thou Shall Love Your Spouse” (7) Series

It was this couple at the restaurant, having dinner together in a corner of that fancy restaurant. And on their way out, in the semi-obscurity of the parking lot he noticed a wallet on the asphalt.

Inside $ 10,000 in cash and a lot of cards along with some other documents. They went back and asked for the restaurant manager. “Can you announce if any of your costumers lost this wallet?”

And the manager did: “Gentlemen, please, verify if you still have the wallet. We have found a wallet in the parking lot”. Bingo… the owner cried so loud, cheerful, that all the restaurant customers were panicked… Fire? No, just a happy guy getting back ten grants…

He was a reporter working for the town newspaper who lost his wallet after leaving the same restaurant. And he was happy and excited… speaking loud for everybody in the restaurant to hear him:

- “You are the most honest man I ever meet. Let me reward you”…

But no, the founder refused any reward and he kept a low voice: “OK sir now we are leaving”.

- “Oh, if you won’t accept money, I will do something else, said the happy reporter. I will put your picture in tomorrow’s new paper, on the first page, for everybody to know that we still have honest people in this town, people that we are proud of them”… And he was reaching his pocket for the camera… for pictures…

But that guy just said no and left the restaurant almost pushing him away with the reporter chasing him outside… Please, a picture, we need to expose your integrity.

At that moment, the guy pushed the women in the car and told the reporter: “I don’t need any exposure. You see, this woman is not my wife, so shout your mouth and let me go now”…

Sad truth, - the most honest man in town was not quite… honest...

We are continuing now our series LAW & GRACE it the Ten Commandments. Why do we even keep the 10 C? Do we keep them to be saved? No. We keep them because we ARE saved. We keep the 10 C because we love the "Law-Giver," Who is Jesus Christ.

That's why we do it. And so we don't do this to earn salvation. We do it because we have salvation, and because we want to honor our Savior.

ILL. We were driving home one night and a deer jumped suddenly in front of our van. There was no way to avoid the deer. According to the Department of Natural Resources there are over 10,000 deer killed on LA Highways every year. Do you know when most of them are killed? In November and December. That's just about when my wife and I had that encounter with the deer on Hwy 28 East around Jonesville.

Now, why are most of them killed in November/December? Because the male deer are in rut. That is when they are obsessed with reproductive activities. They chase whatever female deer is out there.

Nobody is married in the deer kingdom. We are. And I will tell you that if type of thing becomes our obsession, our life is in danger, and not just in November/December. Adultery is dangerous.

The next time you drive along and you happen to see a dead deer lying along the road, think about the high price of adulterous obsession. You could become road kill yourself on the highway that leads to eternal life, couldn't you? So, be careful.

“Do not commit adultery…” is a short commandment, but long in consequences…

If the 10 C went through a downsizing like most companies are going through now in America, and the 10 C. were streamlined, which would be eliminated? One person said:

"Eliminate the seventh commandment because nobody is keeping it anyway”. The sad statistics are that almost 6 out of every 10 marriages in America will experience adultery. Thirty years ago 4 in 10… now 6 in 10…

Adultery is a sin against God. Who told us that? Well, that's in Genesis 39:9. Joseph was in Potiphar's house and Potiphar's wife was after him and he said, ...How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?

It's not just a sin against your spouse or your children; it's a sin against God. Adultery breaks every other commandment.

Adultery is stealing. It steals the love from another. It steals someone's spouse away. It is taking love that does not belong to you. Adultery destroys trust, Jeopardizes the family. You said: "I will always be faithful to you."

Adultery is a living lie. It is done without the knowledge of the spouse. Adultery is coveting someone who does not belong to you. Adultery is the supreme example of Selfishness. I need this for me. My spouse does not meet my needs. Marriage is all about giving, but adultery is all about taking.