SERMON OUTLINE:
The involvement goes from sweetness to bitterness verses 1-6.
The involvement goes from gain to loss verses 7-14.
The involvement goes from purity to pollution verses 15-20
The involvement goes from freedom to bondage verses 21-23
SERMON BODY:
iLL:
• The Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai
• For all Jewish people to follow.
• They form part of the covenant, a formal agreement or promise,
• Between God and the Hebrew people.
• They have a wider implication and the Ten Commandments,
• The principles contained in the Ten Commandments,
• Are fundamental to the Western legal tradition.
Question:
• We know that there are 10 Commandments.
• We know they were given to Moses,
• We know where they were given - Mount Sinai.
• Trivia question: How many times did God give them?
Answer: Three times.
• The first time, the Ten Commandments were first spoken by God,
• (Exodus chapter 20 verses 1-17).
• These were given to Moses orally.
• At this point, they were not written down on a scroll or stone.
• The second time, the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on two tablets of stone.
• (Exodus chapter 31 verses 1-18).
• We are told they were, “written with the finger of God.”
• This set of stone commandments was broken by Moses,
• When he came down from the mountain & found the Israelites worshiping a golden calf.
• The third time, God gave Moses a second set of the 10 commandments on stone.
• (Exodus chapter 34 verses 1-4).
Question: Can you name the Ten Commandments (and in order)?
• The Ten Commandments are all about relationships.
• In fact, the whole Bible can be boiled down to one word, relationships.
• The commandments divide into two sections,
• Not five and five but four and six.
• The first four concern our relationship to God.
• Respect for God (they are upward).
• The next six concern our relationship with other people.
• Respect for others (they are across-wards).
Those last six Commandments are,
• ‘Honor your father and your mother’ – respect your parents.
• ‘You shall not murder’ – respect life.
• ‘You shall not commit adultery’ – respect your partner.
• ‘You shall not steal’ – respect people’s property.
• ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor’ – respect the truth.
• ‘You shall not covet’ – respect what you have.
• Commandment number seven is our theme for today,
• So important is the sin of adultery, it makes it into God’s top ten list!
Now let’s be clear by what we mean by the term adultery.
• The dictionary defines “adultery” as,
“Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person,
and a person who is not his or her spouse.”
• The Bible would agree with this definition.
• e.g., Leviticus chapter 18 verse 20, God told Moses,
• “Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her,”
• Remember that God established the institution of marriage,
• As being between one man and one woman (Genesis chapter 2 verse 24).
• And Jesus restated it in the gospels (Matthew chapter 19 verse 5).
Note: Adultery is wrong for a number of reasons:
• FIRST:
• Because it involves breaking one of the most serious promises a person can make.
• Most non-religious people as well as people of faith,
• Want an exclusive relationship with ONE another,
• Which includes abstaining from having sex with other people?
• SECOND:
• Adultery weakens the institutions of marriage and family.
• Quote: “Nobody sins in a vacuum.”
• Meaning that our actions affect others.
• It is the partner and the children that end up badly affected by the act of adultery.
• THIRD:
• When people put the wellbeing of their marriage above their personal "happiness,"
• They achieve more lasting happiness in the long run.
Quote:
• Michael W. Austin, Ph.D.,
• Who is a professor of philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University.
“There will be times when you sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of your spouse, and for the relationship itself. However, when we put the interests of our spouse and the well-being of the marriage relationship above our own pursuit of happiness, paradoxically we experience a deeper and more lasting form of happiness. This is the form of happiness that comes from having good character, and an enduring love relationship with the person we've vowed to be faithful to, 'til death do us part.”
Pause to say:
• If you think these verses are not really relevant for us,
• Think again!
(a).
• We have a new king, Charles III,
• Who in a 1994 interview admitted to committing adultery,
• During his marriage to Princess Diana
(b).
• Our former Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned,
• The Telegraph had the headline, Goodbye to the ‘amoral, serial adulterer.’
• Sadly, it is not unusual for politicians to be ‘found out.’
(c).
• Preachers, Ministers, Vicars are also prone to this sin.
• e.g., TV evangelists like the American Rev Jim Bakker, or Jimmy Swaggart.
• What if I told you within several miles of this Church,
• Ministers and other leaders have had to resign because of adultery.
(d).
• Our own families!
• I would guess that every large family here has experienced this happening at some time.
• Either to a close relative or a more distant relative,
• And we have seen the heartache that it causes,
• Sadly, it takes place more often than we like to think or admit.
• So, it is probably good that we spend today and the next two weeks looking at this issue.
Now let’s look at the passage,
• Warren W. Wiersbe in his ‘Be Skillful’ commentary on the book of Proverbs,
• Gives a great outline for this passage.
• So, we will use that as the skeleton and put us on flesh on the bone.
(1). Their experience goes from sweetness to bitterness (vs 1-6).
“My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion.
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil.
4 but in the end, she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death.
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life.
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.”
Ill:
• Mince pies are this preachers joy and nightmare.
• I love a good mince pie and at Christmas time I am able to have my fill.
• I speak at a number of Carol Services, Coffee Mornings, School Assemblies,
• And other gatherings.
• And at Christmas time mince pies are there in abundance.
• Often, they look so nice, so tempting, so delicious,
• Then you give in and pick one up with your cup of tea or coffee and take a bite.
• And sometimes, the disappointment of a bad mince pie,
• When the pastry is crumbly, the filling is too stodgy, the taste is quite bland.
• And you are stuck with it,
• No plant pot in sight in which you can carefully deposit it!
• TRANSITION:
• Adultery says the father to his son, will lead you from sweetness to bitterness.
• Form honey (vs 6) to bitter gall, that is a (vs 7)
• (Gall is a bitter-tasting substance made of a plant such as wormwood or myrrh).
• TRANSITION: The father’s point is very simple,
• It will start out well, fun & exciting but end up in sadness & regret.
Ill:
• According to the experts (e.g. www.verywellmind.com )
• Most affairs, that is acts of adultery lasts between six months to one year,
• Obviously, some can last longer, and can at times even replace the previous relationship,
• But on average for most people who have an affair,
• It will only last on average six months to one year.
• TRANSITION: The book of Proverbs,
• Deemphasizes again and again and again and again,
• The importance of looking ahead to see where your actions will lead you.
• (See 5:11; 14:12-14; 16:25; 19:20; 20:21; 23:17-18, 32; 24:14, 20; 25:8).
• Verse 11:
• At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
Ill:
• Before you buy a train or an airplane ticket,
• I hope you check the destination beforehand!
• Only an idiot would buy a ticket without knowing where they are going!
• Anyone who thinks we can break God’s laws and escape the consequences.
• Are in for a surprise, both in this life and the life to come!
(2). The involvement goes from gain to loss (vs 7-14).
“Now then, my sons, listen to me.
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others.
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enriches the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers.
or turn my ear to my instructors.
14 And I was soon in serious trouble.
in the assembly of God’s people.””
Ill:
• One of the TV programs Penny & myself enjoy watching is,
• ‘Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing ‘
• It’s much more than a fishing show,
• In each episode comedians, Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse,
• Talk about life, friendship, and death as they fish...
• The settings along the river, shows the stunning beauty of the British countryside.
• YouTube Clip: Edited a shorter clip taken from the original.
• Edited Clip to use: https://youtu.be/DcMX_UFDjNk
• Full Clip: https://youtu.be/AljYZ49Nyoo
TRANSITION: Temptation regarding adultery or any sin always works the same way!
• FIRST: The bait is dropped.
• SECOND: Our inner desire is attracted to the bait.
• THIRD: Sin occurs when we give in to temptation.
• FOURTH: Sin results in tragic consequences.
• Temptation always includes hopeful promises,
• Otherwise, people would never take the bait.
Some of the saddest verses from this chapter are #9-14.
• With hindsight the adulterous man is chewing over the high cost of his actions,
• He has discovered that the most expensive thing in the world is sin.
• Sin remember is always two-fold:
• A wrong attitude to God – no to God I will live my way!
• That leads to wrong actions, in this case adultery.
Let me pick out a few of the consequences:
• Verse 9: He has lost his good reputation.
• He & she are the gossip of the town,
• Today we would say, it’s all over the news & social media!
• Verse 10: Instead of riches he is in poverty, instead of success he is in ruin.
• He & she thought this affair would enrich their lives (and it did for a time),
• But it has ended up bankrupting them.
• Verse 13: He reflects and wishes he had listened to his father’s instructions.
• If only he & she could change his wretched situation.
Ill:
• God can forgive the sin of adultery and any sin,
• If we repent and are genuine in our confession.
• But you still must face the consequences of your actions.
• e.g., If I am caught drink driving, God can forgive that sin,
• But the consequences will be a driving ban and the embarrassment of what I have done.
• We always have to face the consequences of our actions.
(3). The involvement goes from purity to pollution (vs 15-20).
“Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?”
Ill:
• Roughly one-fourth of humanity drinks contaminated water regularly.
• The United Nations estimates that some 1.8 billion people around the globe,
• Drink water that is contaminated with faeces /fecal matter – poop.
• TRANSITION:
• Solomon compares enjoying married love to drinking pure water from a fresh well,
• But committing sexual sin is like drinking polluted water from the gutter or sewer.
• Sex within marriage is a beautiful river that brings life and refreshment,
• But sex outside marriage is a sewer that defiles everything it touches.
Note: lovely insight in verse 19-20.
• Solomon says a man should be ‘intoxicated’ or ‘infatuated’ with his wife.
• Note the contrast, the adulterer watches the river turn into a sewer,
• But the faithful husband sees the water become fine wine!
Ill:
• Reminds me of the first miracle of Jesus (John chapter 2 verses 1-11).
• Where he turned water into wine at a wedding feast,
• I wonder if he was giving us an object lesson,
• Concerning the growing delights of marriage
(4). The involvement goes from freedom to bondage (vs 21-23).
“For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them.
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.”
Ill:
• Whales are one of the most impressive creatures on earth.
• If you watch them swimming in the ocean, they are truly amazing.
• They are creatures of strength, majesty and freedom.
• But tragically with their immense size comes a problem,
• They can become trapped when they have come too close to shore.
• When a whale becomes beached,
• The strength and freedom they had in the open water is gone.
• A beached whale is a horrible sight.
• The freedom the whale enjoyed in the open water has suddenly vanished.
• If the whale trapped on a sandbar cannot escape,
• Then sadly their death is certain.
• TRANSITION: Freedom is a gift from God.
• God instructs us and urges us to use that freedom wisely.
• These verses clearly teach us that if we deliberately disobey God’s instructions,
• Then our freedom will gradually become bondage,
• The kind of bondage that can’t easily be broken.
• One of the deceitful things about sin is that it promises freedom but only brings slavery.
• Jesus said (John chapter 8 verse 34).
• “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”
Ill:
• Remember the old Sunday School illustration of sin and being bound.
• You asked for a volunteer and asked them to put their hands together.
• You took some cotton and wrapped it a couple of times around their wrists,
• Then you said, “Snap it!” and of course they did this quite easily.
• Then you repeated the experiment but wrapped the cotton around their wrists ten times,
• This time it was much more difficult for the child to snap it.
• Then you repeated the experiment one more time,
• But wrapped it around their wrists fifty times,
• And this the child was unable to snap it!
• TRANSITION: The cords of sin get stronger the more we sin,
• Yet sin deceives us into thinking we’re free and can quit sinning whenever we please.
• But over time the invisible chains of habit are forged,
• And one day we discover to our horror that we don’t have the strength to break them.
In conclusion:
• No wonder the father warns his children to stay away from the adulteress (vs 8).
• “Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.”
• The Message (Paraphrases it),
• “Stay out of her neighborhood.”
Cheating is one of the easiest ways to damage a relationship.
• The reason infidelity is the closest thing to impossible to resolve and work through,
• Is because it completely shatters the most basic foundation of a relationship: trust.
• Cheating can collapse even the strongest bonds and is especially dangerous,
• Because it has the power to implode your relationship.
• The Bible is clear:
• Don’t cheat on your spouse, unless you’re ready for some major consequences.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=8u2Dx7oH1HEYrI0kuH2EQvUHDaDF9TLL
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/EfvQPbwqAHQ
