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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Deuteronomy 5, as we continue to move through the Ten Commandments. 
We'll look at the seventh commandment tonight, Deuteronomy 5.18, but 
I did want to read the larger context, so I'll start reading 
in Deuteronomy 5, beginning in verse 6. I am the Lord your God 
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not 
make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that 
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that 
is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them 
nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am 
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children 
to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. but showing 
mercy to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of 
the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
who takes his name in vain. Observe the Sabbath day to keep 
it holy as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall 
labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath 
of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work, you, 
nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your 
female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your 
cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your 
male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 
And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the 
Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and 
by an outstretched arm. Therefore, the Lord your God 
commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. Honor your father and your 
mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your 
days may be long and that it may be well with you in the land 
which the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder, you 
shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not 
bear false witness against your neighbor, you shall not covet 
your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's 
house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his 
donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. These words, the 
Lord spoke to all your assembly in the mountain, from the midst 
of the fire, the cloud and the thick darkness with a loud voice. And he added no more. And he 
wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father in 
heaven, I pray that you would grant us wisdom and grace now 
as we consider the seventh commandment. I pray for the ministry of your 
Holy Spirit to be at work in our minds and hearts. Help us 
to see the gross sin of this particular commandment. Help 
us to recoil from it. And I pray for our young people 
and our children. God, help me with wisdom to be 
able to explain these things in a way that is biblical first 
and foremost and is helpful to them. God, I pray that you would 
watch over them, that you would bless them, that in their youth 
they would remember their Creator, by the grace of God, calling 
upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and hopefully to be kept 
from the violations associated with this particular commandment. 
Again, Father, forgive us for all of our sins, wash us in that 
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and fill us with your 
Holy Spirit. And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, we're looking at Deuteronomy 
5.18, and it is the commandment that prohibits adultery. You 
shall not commit adultery. I want to look first at the basis 
of the commandment, secondly, the prohibition of the commandment, 
and then thirdly, the positive aspect of the commandment. I'll 
do what I've done in the past in terms of the positive aspect, 
simply read the Westminster Larger Catechism. If you're tracking 
with the prohibition, hopefully you will see positively do the 
opposite. Do not commit adultery by inference 
means have good marriages. Be faithful with reference to 
the marriage bed and do those things that are pleasing in the 
sight of God. But in terms of the basis of 
the commandment, The underlying principle, or the foundational 
principle, is the institution of marriage. In other words, 
God gives this particular law for the good of families within 
Old Covenant Israel, and certainly, by way of extension, the people 
of God in New Covenant Israel. And when it comes to marriage, 
God has three purposes for marriage. In the first place, companionship. 
It was not good that the man was alone, and so he fashioned 
Eve and brought her to him. If there is never the opportunity 
on the part of marriage partners to engage in conjugal relationship, 
there is nevertheless a marriage in place. Companionship is absolutely 
crucial, and that is one of the defining aspects or characteristics 
of marriage. The second, obviously, is procreation. Be fruitful and multiply. This 
is an end, or a means, rather, to that particular end. To fill 
the earth, to exercise dominion, and all those sorts of things. 
And then a third purpose is the practice of intimacy within marriage. Our confession of faith refers 
to this as the prevention of uncleanness. Now, I realize that 
sounds less than romantic, but it's one of the purposes for 
marriage and one that we ought to prize and value and thank 
God for. So we have the basis of the commandment 
being God's purposes in marriage. As well, the basis is rooted 
in the law of God. The Decalogue prescribes fidelity 
in the marriage covenant. You shall not commit adultery. 
That's the prohibition. When we look at the rest of God's 
law, we see that there are a whole host of sexual sins that are 
condemned by God through Moses, through the prophets, through 
our Lord Jesus Christ. through the apostles, you can 
trace them all back to this seventh commandment. It is absolutely 
crucial that we get this down because sexual immorality is 
an affront to the living God. So not only the Decalogue, but 
we have new covenant teaching as well. In the New Testament, 
we have Hebrews 13.4, marriage is honorable among all and the 
bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 
So there, again, it's reiterated God's desire or design, rather, 
for this integrity in the marriage relationship. In terms of the 
sanction, I don't want to save this for the end. I'll just mention 
this now. There were certain sexual sins that demanded capital 
punishment in the Old Covenant. We won't go through each and 
every one of them, but the death penalty for criminal activity 
in the Old Covenant was prescribed for certain sexual sins, or as 
far as I know, for most of the sexual sins. As well, Proverbs 
tells us that there is the wrath of man. Remember when Solomon 
in Proverbs chapter 6 is prohibiting his sons from engaging in adultery, 
in adultery he talks about the man whose wife one violates and 
that man will inflict bruises, that man will inflict blows upon 
the person that engaged in that breach of the marriage covenant. 
And then of course hell. Hell ultimately lay in the future 
for those who engage in sexual immorality and do not repent 
of it. We see that in Revelation chapter 
21. In the lake of fire there are 
adulterers, there are sexually immoral people. Thomas Watson 
made this observation with reference to the Seventh Commandment. He 
says the adulterer not only wrongs his own soul, but does what in 
him lies to destroy the soul of another, and so kills two 
at once. He is worse than the thief. For 
suppose a thief robs a man, yea, takes away his life. The man's 
soul may be happy. He may go to heaven as well as 
if he had died in his bed. But he who commits adultery endangers 
the soul of another and deprives her of salvation so far as in 
him lies. Now what a fearful thing is it 
to be an instrument to draw another to hell. So it's a very, very 
powerful statement, and again, as we look at this prohibition, 
you shall not commit adultery. And then we look at the rest 
of Scripture and see the multitude of ways that men and women sin 
against God in a sexual manner. It really is, on the one hand, 
quite repulsive. On the other hand, it is obviously 
an effect of the fall. We transgress God's law, we reject 
God's government, we reject his authority and his law, and then 
life ends up looking much like it does today. There is utter 
disregard for the sanctity of the marriage bed. There is utter 
disregard for the sanctity of marriage. There is utter disregard 
for the sanctity anymore of gender. We see all of this stuff being 
propagated and all of this stuff being pushed at times on young 
children in terms of what they believe is some sort of sexual 
liberation, but it's bondage and it's going back into the 
household of Egypt and is living under harsh taskmasters. Now 
secondly, in terms of the prohibition of the commandment, I want to 
look first at the acts prohibited by the commandment. First of 
all is adultery. And basically adultery is intercourse, 
the sexual intercourse of a husband with the wife of another or a 
wife with the husband of another. Now, the sin of adultery most 
likely is pointed out in the Seventh Commandment. Again, it 
covers all sexual sin, but it is the most vile attack upon 
the basic unit of society, namely the family. When persons commit 
adultery, they are attacking that fundamental, blessed institution 
that God has given for His people. Dabney likens adultery to murder, 
and he says in some sense that with reference to adultery, it 
eradicates the blessedness of life itself. Now, if you're married, 
you can resonate with that. It's not the only thing. but 
it's certainly a good thing and a blessed thing to be sure. But 
adultery of one partner in marriage involved not only unfaithfulness 
to the other partner, but also unfaithfulness to God. So it 
was a direct revolt against the theocracy. It was a direct revolt 
against God's rule in Old Covenant Israel. Now, the texts that teach 
this are Leviticus chapter 18 and verse 20, Leviticus chapter 
20 and verse 10, and Deuteronomy chapter 22 and verse 22. As well, when you get to the 
New Testament vice lists, Those are lists filled with vices upon 
which God has targeted, with reference to destruction of those 
who commit such things, we see adultery mentioned time and time 
again. It is a great offense against 
the living God to go outside of your marriage to intrude upon 
another marriage. And doing so, you will indeed 
provoke the very wrath of God upon your head. A second sin 
prohibited by this commandment is fornication. That means when 
persons have relations outside of marriage. Settle it in your 
mind. The only lawful expression of 
sexuality ordained and sanctioned by God is within the confines 
of marriage. Anything outside of marriage 
is aberrant. It is vile. It is offensive. It is a transgression. God, brethren, 
is not anti-sex. God is anti-lawless sex. God is anti-no-responsibility 
sex. God is pro-it with reference 
to a marriage covenant. Fornication is despised by God. Again, Hebrews 13, 4, but fornicators 
and adulterers God will judge. A third thing prohibited by this 
commandment is the act of incest. Now, there's two ways that persons 
can engage in incest. One is by consanguinity. That's when we have a blood relationship 
to somebody and we engage in relations with that. The Bible 
forbids that. But then there is affinity. That 
means a relationship that obtains by marriage. Remember in 1 Corinthians 
5, the apostle Paul condemns the church at Corinth because 
there was a man who had relations with his father's wife. Most 
likely, that was a relationship by affinity. You're not supposed 
to do that. The Scriptures condemn that, 
and it is vile and reprehensible to go against God's law in this 
way. Leviticus 18, Leviticus 20 deal 
with this at length. Deuteronomy 22, 30, and as I 
mentioned, 1 Corinthians 5. Our confession says, marriage 
ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity, 
forbidden in the word, nor can such incestuous marriage ever 
be made lawful by any law of man or consent of parties, so 
as those persons may live together as man and wife. You see, the 
confession says, man does not have the prerogative and the 
lawful authority to overrule what God has said. If a society 
says, well, it's okay that men marry their sisters or that women 
marry their brothers, that does not supersede the law of God. 
God forbids that affinity or consanguinity. It is condemned 
by the Lord. Now, a fourth sin condemned here 
is one that I want to explain in a bit more detail. You can 
turn to Deuteronomy 22. Deuteronomy 22, the act of rape. Brethren, this is one of those 
sermons that, you know, it's not fun to preach, you're not 
happy to preach it. Who wants to talk about rape? 
It's a terrible thing. But you must know that outside 
of the church, persons use Deuteronomy 22 to try to make us inside the 
church look like we're big fat hypocrites. Because as the text 
is commonly understood, if you rape a betrothed woman, you can 
be executed. If you rape a non-betrothed woman, 
that's okay. You just have to pay her father. 
So it's important that we understand what Moses is saying, nay, what 
God is saying in Deuteronomy 22, so that we are not prey to 
that sort of a mindset. I don't know if you've ever heard 
that, but some people do think that. They think that as long 
As the woman is single, it's okay that you rape her. Well, 
that's a faulty understanding and bad exegesis of the several 
instances here covered in Deuteronomy 22. Note in the first place, 
adultery is condemned. This is a section dealing with 
laws of sexual morality. Notice in Deuteronomy 22.22, 
if a man is found lying with a woman, married to a husband, 
then both of them shall die. The man that lay with the woman 
and the woman. So you shall put away the evil 
from Israel. That's pretty clear, pretty obvious. Now notice, we have then the 
seduction of a betrothed woman. Verses 23 and 24. If a young 
woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, You have to understand, 
betrothal in this context was a legal arrangement. In fact, 
in verse 24, the betrothed woman is referred to as a wife. It 
was as good as done, basically. So if a young woman who is a 
virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city 
and lies with her, Then you shall bring them both out to the gate 
of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the 
young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the 
man because he humbled his neighbor's wife, so you shall put away the 
evil from among you." See, it hinges on that reality. She did 
not cry out in the city. If she cried out in the city, 
that gives evidence to the fact that this man forcibly tried 
to rape her. The fact that she does not cry 
out indicates that she's a willing participant. And so that's why 
it's better to refer to this as the seduction of a betrothed 
woman. She agrees to this seduction, 
and as a result, they are both punished. Now, the next section, 
verses 25 to 27, deals with the rape of a betrothed woman in 
the countryside. But if a man finds a betrothed 
young woman in the countryside and the man forces her and lies 
with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. It's 
a condemnation of rape. The word forces indicates that. God says this is wicked. This is abominable. But notice 
what else it says, verse 26, but you shall do nothing to the 
young woman. There is in the young woman no sin deserving 
of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and 
kills him, even so is this matter. Is God saying that rape has the 
same effect upon a person as does the crime of murder? Yes, 
he says it's just as that. You may not murder her physically, 
but you do great damage to her for the rest of her life. And 
I would extrapolate from this the wickedness, the vileness 
of pedophilia, the vileness of engaging in that sort of a tactic 
with a child. Anybody who does that is opening 
themselves up to the wrath and fury and judgment of God. That 
our civil government doesn't punish such beasts is another 
indication that we ought to cry out to God to arouse himself 
and to move the hearts of people. How in the world could it ever 
be the case that somebody could engage in that kind of a crime 
and not be punished? And if the LGBTQ continues to 
go its way, there's another group that wants to put their initial 
on there as well, and they are persons that look favorably upon 
pedophilia. We won't act upon it, but it's 
something that we desire. We won't do it, but it's something 
that we desire. That sort of madness is going 
on in the context of the church as well, not with pedophilia, 
but with homosexuality. As long as persons don't act 
upon it, the thought of having it, that's okay. No, it isn't. The thought of killing yourself 
is wrong, whether you ever act upon it or not. Suicide is murder 
and it is prohibited by God. To entertain the thought is in 
and of itself wrong. To entertain the thought of engaging 
in an illicit sexual relationship is wrong. We don't say, well, 
you know, he's this or that. No, it's a condemnation that 
needs to be preached, not because we hate people, but because we 
fear God and we want people to go to heaven. If we never tell 
them the truth and we legitimize their deviance, they'll never 
look out for Christ. And then in verse 27 we see another 
important key. For he found her in the countryside, 
and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one 
to save her. See, in this instance, countryside, 
not city, she cried out, but there was nobody there to save 
her. This is not an act of complicitness on her part. She doesn't agree 
to this. This wasn't a willing seduction, 
and then she complies. No, rather, this is rape. This 
is why Potiphar's wife insists on two occasions that she cried 
out when that Hebrew slave was there. because she knew that 
if she hadn't cried out, no jury in Egypt would have ever convicted 
with reference to the crime of rape. A woman crying out indicates 
that she's a non-willing participant in the gross wickedness that 
is being inflicted upon her. Now, it's the next section that 
is often misunderstood. Verse 28 is the seduction of 
a single woman. If a man finds a young woman 
who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with 
her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her 
shall give to the young woman's father 50 shekels of silver, 
and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her. He shall 
not be permitted to divorce her all his days. So you see the 
pagan and unfortunately inconsistent Christians say, well, if you 
rape a betrothed woman, you get the death penalty. If you rape 
a non-betrothed woman, you just pay her father, and then you 
take her as your wife, and then you live happily ever after. 
That's not how this should be understood. Notice in the first 
place, verse 28, if a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, 
who is not betrothed, and he seizes her. It's a different 
verb than that used in verse 25. In verse 25, forces is the 
appropriate translation. Here in verse 28, the seizing 
does not demand force. Notice as well, they are found 
out. She is willing, she submits, 
or rather she agrees to this seduction. You're not dealing 
with rape in this particular instance. It's fornication to 
be sure, it's definitely sinful to be sure, but it is not an 
act of forcible rape. That's what distinguishes the 
two situations. It's not that the betrothed woman 
in Old Covenant Israel had rights and protections that single women 
didn't. Single women had the same rights 
and protections also. But in this instance, it is not 
the case that he is forcing her. She is a willing participant 
in this, and therefore, the man now pays the price to the father. 
He takes her as his bride, and they live, hopefully, happily 
ever after. There's a parallel to this in 
Exodus chapter 22, verses 16 and 17. So there is no inconsistency. There is no difference in terms 
of whether or not a woman is married. God's law is consistent. And the last statement in verse 
30 deals with affinity. A man shall not take his father's 
wife nor uncover his father's bed. Now, I think as well, by 
way of a sideline observation, the law of God is relevant to 
the apostle Paul. See, some people say, well, the 
old covenant law, it's not really binding on us today. Paul demanded 
the excommunication of a sinner in the church at Corinth based 
on the law of God as revealed in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. 
So as far as Paul is concerned, the law given in Leviticus and 
Deuteronomy is still for us today. Now, obviously, we need to make 
sure we understand the threefold division of law. Ceremonial law, 
fulfilled by Christ, abrogated for the new covenant. Judicial 
law, general equity to be sure. It's moral law binding. A man 
goes in to his father's wife, he is excommunicated by the church. Notice Paul does not tell the 
church to execute the man. The church has never been given 
the sword to engage or inflict, rather, capital punishment. The 
state has the monopoly on God's vengeance with reference to judicial 
violations. The church excommunicates. The 
church distances herself from such violators in their presence. Now, the fifth thing is the act 
of sodomy. Now, again, this is not happy 
stuff to talk about, but it's stuff that we need to understand. 
The Bible prohibits homosexuality. You see it in Genesis 18 and 
19. When God says that the sin of Sodom is exceedingly vile 
and their wickedness has risen up to high heaven, The sin is 
homosexuality. You see specific prohibitions 
against homosexuality in Leviticus 18.22 and in Leviticus 20.13. 
But turn to the New Testament, because oftentimes we hear, well, 
that was the Old Testament. It was wrong to be a sodomite 
in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament it's somehow 
okay. Well, that's just not the case. The New Testament condemns 
it as well. Of course, I should say there 
are persons who acknowledge that the New Testament condemn it, 
but condemn a certain type of it. The New Testament doesn't 
condemn a loving, monogamous, homosexual relationship. I'm 
not kidding, brethren. This is where exegesis is going. 
If we follow this, the Bible means nothing. It's a wax nose. We can move it and shape it however 
it is that we want. It's not that Paul's condemning 
a loving monogamous homosexual relationship. He is condemning 
a profligate, you know, multi-partner, that sort of thing. That's what 
comes under fire in the Apostle Paul. That's not the case at 
all. It's homosexuality. Notice in 
Romans chapter one, verses 26 and seven. For this reason God 
gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged 
the natural use. For what is against nature? This 
is against nature. All sin is bad, certainly. All 
transgression of God's law is bad. But homosexuality has the 
dual sort of problem of not only being a sin, but it's actually 
against nature. This is opposite of God's created 
order. This is not what His design is 
in terms of relationships that obtain between persons in His 
world. And then in verse 27, likewise 
also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their 
lust for one another, men with men, committing what is shameful, 
and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which 
was doom. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians 
chapter 6. Again, I'm not singling this 
one out as the only one condemned by God, but it's certainly a 
hot topic in our generation. Not only outside the church, 
but unfortunately within the church. And so the people of 
God need to know what Scripture says concerning this aberrant 
behavior, and to recognize that it is a sin. and that God does 
say no to this, and that we as the church, as well, must imitate 
God. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 9, Do 
you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom 
of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor 
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites. Now, some have 
said, why does he say the same thing twice? I thought homosexuals 
were sodomites. There is actually a technical 
distinction that Paul is using in two Greek words to highlight 
the active partner in this relationship and the passive partner in this 
relationship. Paul knows Greek, and Paul is 
using the language of his day to indicate that. Whether you're 
the active partner or the passive partner, Whatever your particular 
situation is, it is condemned by God. Nor thieves, nor covetous, 
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit 
the kingdom of God. Now, brethren, that's one sin 
among many. And as Christians, we aren't 
one-note johnnies. We don't go out and say, well, 
homosexuality is the only bad thing out there. No, it's one 
bad thing among many bad things. This is a vice list. several 
vices condemned by God. The beautiful thing is what Paul 
goes on to say. He says in verse 11, And such 
were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, 
but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by 
the Spirit of our God. You know, at times you hear, 
well, they're born this way. Well, if they were born that 
way, they couldn't stop. If you're born with blue eyes, 
you don't grow brown eyes if you want to change it. If something 
is hardwired into your DNA, then you cannot change it. And see, 
when we preach it that way, or when we tell persons that way, 
we keep them in bondage. There is freedom and liberty 
to be had in our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many, many reports 
of persons that engage in a homosexual lifestyle, homosexual relations. They get converted, they marry 
persons of the opposite sex, and then they have children together. 
If it was the case that they were born that way or it was 
part of their DNA, they wouldn't be able to change. But there 
had been those in the church in Corinth, such were some of 
you, Paul says, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, 
but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by 
the Spirit of our God. And then again, in 1 Timothy 
chapter 1, 1 Timothy chapter 1, again, I'm not picking this 
sin out as the only bad sin, but in the context in which we 
live, we need to understand Scripture does condemn this. First Timothy 
chapter 1 at verse 8. To just say, well, Paul's obviously 
condemning, you know, a non-monogamous, loving homosexuality. Where in 
the world does such an idea obtain but in the mind of the interpreter? 
To try and rationalize and justify a practice that is obviously 
condemned by our God. Another sin is the act of bestiality. And again, this is horrible to 
even discuss or to talk about, but God prohibited Israel from 
engaging in the sorts of practices that the Canaanites engaged in. And to be quite candid, As the 
world proceeds on its present trajectory, it wouldn't surprise 
me if lawmakers start to deal with this, not in a way of prohibition, 
but in a way of sanction. One commentator says concerning 
the Canaanites, the degree of sexual perversion in Canaanite 
culture was such that bestiality was fairly commonplace. Hittite 
laws, for example, even permitted cohabitation with certain animals. And we've seen that in the news 
and not long ago. If society continues down the 
particular track they are going, who knows where we're going to 
be in 20 years. I guarantee you 20 years ago, 
you probably wouldn't have predicted where we are at today with Soji 
and all of the sort of pushing this on us. Another thing is 
unlawful divorce. The Bible permits divorce. I 
realize that some disagree. I have made the case preaching 
in Matthew 5, Matthew 19, and I've also looked at 1 Corinthians 
7 in this pulpit. As far as I'm concerned, scripture 
permits divorce in the case of sexual immorality and in the 
case of abandonment or desertion, which I would include spousal 
abuse as being abandonment or desertion. A man that beats his 
wife, we do not tell her, go back in there and take another 
for the team. That is absolutely ludicrous 
and that some pastors Counsel women who are being pummeled 
by their husbands to continue in this is shameful and horrific. And they're not weird, odd, Pelagian 
Armenians way off the reservation. These are Calvinistic men. These 
are celebrity men. And they nevertheless will counsel 
a woman. Well, this is your lot in life. 
You got to deal with it. I'm sorry, brethren, God says 
no. Abandonment. If a man is abusing 
his wife, he has abandoned her. That's all there is to it. And 
in 1 Corinthians 7, the apostle Paul deals with that. So with 
reference to divorce, it's lawful in those instances, but may I 
say, those alone. And that when persons engage 
in divorce and then they go on to another, it is then lawless 
and unlawful. As well, the act of polygamy. If you watch the news, this is 
going to happen in Utah most likely. At least they're pushing 
it to make polygamy legal in Utah. Obviously, the theological 
connection, the Mormons believe that the more wives they have. 
I don't think people understand Mormon theology. They don't understand 
that what a good Mormon ultimately attains is godhood. and a planet. And with his multiplicity of 
wives, he fills that planet with his children, his seed, his offspring. And so there is a great emphasis 
on a multitude of wives so that you can have a multitude of children, 
because if you're going to actually be a god over a planet, you've 
got to have some women there to help you populate this planet. 
So polygamy. I know that the Bible has instances 
where men, godly men, good men, righteous men, David, king of 
Israel, had a multitude of wives. But the Bible reports stuff without 
necessarily endorsing stuff. The Bible telling us this doesn't 
mean, therefore, go and do thou likewise. The intent of God at 
creation. was one man and one woman. You see that upheld in the prophets, 
you see that upheld by our Lord Jesus, you see that upheld by 
His apostles. The practice was tolerated in 
the Old Testament, but as Stuart says, monogamy is everywhere 
in Scripture, assumed as the ideal, as a creation ordinance, 
firmly reinforced by Jesus and Paul. Another one is the act 
of prostitution. Intriguingly, not a crime in 
Old Covenant Israel, but a sin. Not a crime, but a sin. You understand 
the distinction? There can be crimes that aren't 
necessarily sins. Preaching the gospel of Jesus 
Christ in Saudi Arabia is a crime, but it's not a sin. There can 
be sins that are not necessarily crimes. When you covet your neighbor's 
wife, or you covet your neighbor's car, or you covet your neighbor's 
oxen, you are sinning against God. But the civil state shouldn't 
throw you into prison for that. They shouldn't punish thought 
crime. But with reference to this act of prostitution, it 
is wrong because it is sexual congress outside the boundaries 
of marriage. And then a final one is the use 
of pornography. You can turn to Matthew 5 to 
see this. Matthew chapter 5. Now, I realize Jesus doesn't say don't 
click on whatever the porn site is.com. but he deals with heart lust. Verse 27 in Matthew 5, you have 
heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit 
adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust 
for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 
Now remember, the antithesis is not, you have heard that it 
was said by Moses, but I say to you, that's not Jesus' point. 
You've heard that it was said to you by the scribal interpreters 
and the Pharisees who misinterpret it. The Old Testament forbade 
heart lust as well. The Old Testament prohibited 
engaging in that thought process against somebody else. So Jesus' 
antithesis is not him and Moses, but rather Moses' bad interpreters. But I say to you that whoever 
looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery 
with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you 
to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is more profitable 
for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body 
to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes 
you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you, for it is more profitable 
for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body 
to be cast into hell. The use of pornography. People, 
men, not just men, women, don't look at pornography to not lust. There's an intimate connection 
between the use of that medium and lust. And dear parents, all 
of us need to be very vigilant. You've probably seen the studies 
and the reports that the typical age of an American or a Canadian 
little boy between 8 and 12 is his first exposure to internet 
pornography. Between 8 and 12, I mean, we're 
playing hide-and-seek. Not that we were golden and wonderful 
holy people back in those days, but the availability of it, the 
phones, the computers, the various ways and shapes that persons 
can access this rot is horrible. It affects them early on for 
their future life. The Scriptures are adamant, the 
Scriptures are clear. There is to be none of that outside 
the context of a covenant marriage. You can rejoice in the wife of 
your youth, you're supposed to according to Solomon in Proverbs 
5. God's not anti-sexual Congress 
in relation, a marriage relationship, but it's outside of that. The 
use of pornography is a violation of God's holy law. And the immediate 
action for those guilty is repentance. Confess your sin, forsake your 
sin, and trust in the mercy of God Almighty. The Lord is good. The blood of Jesus Christ, his 
son, does cleanse from all unrighteousness. and we can rejoice in that reality. Now, I am sure there are others 
that we could add to that particular list, but that list in and of 
itself is pretty nauseating, so we'll move on. In terms of 
the manner of violating the commandment, certainly by externals. The actual act of adultery, fornication, 
incest, rape, sodomy, bestiality, unlawful divorce, immodesty. That's another one. Matthew Henry 
says, with reference to immodesty, men sin, but devils tend to sin. Men sin, but devils tempt to 
sin. I skipped that. And modesty is 
another one. 1 Timothy chapter 2. In the context 
of public worship, to be sure, but extrapolate from that the 
reality that all of life is supposed to be lived unto God in a way 
that isn't a demonstration of our flesh. Brethren, there is 
far more to life than sexual glands. There is far more to 
life than genitalia. And yet in this culture, that's 
what's celebrated. Immodesty is a way of bringing 
dishonor to God. It is a way of transgressing 
the law. Proverbs 7 describes that woman, 
that crafty woman. She's wearing the attire of a 
harlot. Now that probably looked, compared 
to our situation, like a smock. Probably looked like a gunny 
sack. Probably showed very little skin at all. But in that context, 
you had women that were identifiable as wearing the attire of a harlot. probably far more modest than 
what we are wearing today. But in our context, there is 
an obvious immodesty and we need to see that and we need to guard 
our hearts against it. And fathers of children or daughters, 
we need to be smart relative to this particular issue. And 
if you're afraid to tell your little daughter that she needs 
to put something else on, then you have just sacrificed your 
man card. They are your children. They 
represent your family. They go out into this world, 
and if they are immodest, and they take the eye and desire 
of men, that's on you at least partially. So you tell your little 
girls how they ought to dress. And if they say, well, that's 
just oppressive, tell them, this ain't the Democrat Party, child. We will oppress in this household. And if you don't like it, tough. 
What happened to that kind of fatherhood? What happened to 
that kind of leadership? What happened to that kind of 
putting the foot down and saying no? Now, I realize, brethren, 
there are very attractive people in this world, and they can literally 
wear gunny sacks and, you know, those big furry hats and everything, 
and people will still gawk at them and still gaze at them and 
still have lustful thoughts for them. I get that. But we ought 
not to make it easy to facilitate that. Again, there's an attire 
of a harlot that certainly doesn't belong upon the children of Christians. Now, in terms of violating the 
commandment, Westminster Larger Catechism, what are the sins 
forbidden in the seventh commandment? The sins forbidden in the seventh 
commandment, besides the neglect of duties there required, are 
adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural 
lusts. But as well, there is this internal 
disposition. Good that we're in Matthew 5, 
because that's where it's addressed. You can be guilty of sinning 
this sin even without ever having gone to another woman or gone 
to another man. That's Jesus' point. Remember Job. He said, I made 
a covenant with my eyes. Why should I look upon a young 
woman? The Old Testament discourages, 
the Old Testament prohibits this heart lust as well. But specifically, 
Jesus says, I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust 
for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 
Listen to Spurgeon. If sin were not allowed in the 
mind, it would never be made manifest in the body. This therefore 
is a very effectual way of dealing with the evil. It's easier to 
crush the egg than the actual snake, right? When the snake 
is just a baby and it's in the egg and you crush it, not that 
we should just willy-nilly crush snake eggs, but it's a lot easier 
dealing with a 19-foot python. Isn't it? Deal with it in the 
mind as one of the means by which you don't engage in the external 
action. Watson says, as a man may die 
of an inward bleeding, so he may be damned for the inward 
boilings of lust if it be not mortified. The Westminster Larger 
Catechism also considers all corrupt or filthy communications 
or listening thereunto. Ephesians chapter 5, 3-7 indicates 
this very thing. And then the Catechism as well 
speaks about the association of sexual sin with idleness, 
gluttony, and drunkenness. And I think there's a principle 
here. The failure to deal with every passion in a man or a woman 
is opening oneself to engage in any one of those passions. In other words, we have to regulate. We have to practice self-control. Have you ever pondered Galatians 
5 and the fruits of the Spirit? Do you know that one of the fruits 
of the Spirit is self-control? Think about that for a moment. 
Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Well, that being 
said, shouldn't we be about self-control? We say, oh, we want the fruit 
of the Spirit, love. We want the fruit of the Spirit, joy. 
We want the fruit of the Spirit, peace. Why don't we want the 
fruit of the Spirit, self-control, self-discipline, self-government? If there was more of that going 
on, and again, I think parents, we ought to teach our kids self-government, 
Control. Watch over your own heart with 
all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. This 
is a necessary emphasis that scripture enjoins upon us. So a failure to govern every 
passion oftentimes produces a climate conducive to indulge in any passion. And so drunkenness, idleness, 
gluttony, those sorts of things oftentimes go hand in hand with 
sexual lust. Now, remember, just by way of 
an observation, what was David doing when he was spying Bathsheba, 
or when he was seeing? I don't think he was up there 
doing that. He was watching Bathsheba. Where should David have been? 
It was the time when kings go out to battle. I don't want to 
moralize the text. I've heard that text moralized 
before. Listen to what David should have been doing. If he 
was out killing Philistines, he wouldn't have been going in 
to Bathsheba and then murdering Uriah. If you're not doing what 
you're supposed to do, do what you're supposed to do. Don't 
open yourselves up to the temptation. That is inevitable. Living in 
a world like this, that traffics in sexual deviation and rebellion 
against God Almighty. Now, in terms of the positive 
aspect, as I said, I'll read the Catechism. What are the duties 
required in the Seventh Commandment? The duties required in the Seventh 
Commandment are chastity in body, mind, affections, words, and 
behavior, and the preservation of it in ourselves and others, 
watchfulness over the eyes and all the senses, temperance, keeping 
of chaste company, modesty and apparel, marriage by those that 
have not the gift of continency. If you can't be single, get married. There's no crime there. There's 
no sin there. There are some factions within 
Christendom, vis-a-vis Protestantism, that teaches that singleness 
is somehow a higher state. Perhaps you've heard the Basic 
Life Principle Institute by Bill Gaither. Bill Gaither's a nut. He is a nut. There is nothing 
more excellent about being single than married. If God has called 
you to be single and given you the gift to be single, then be 
single. But that's not a higher station 
than the rest of us slobs who are pining after our wives or 
husbands. That's legit. God made us that 
way. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 says, 
it would be good if all men were like I am, but not all men have 
been given the gift. Paul had the gift of continency. 
Paul had the gift of celibacy. Paul could do that. The gross, 
rife, sexual abuse of children in Rome could have been precluded 
if those fools would have allowed their priests to get married. get married, and that's the prevention 
of uncleanness, not abusing boys and girls. These things are not 
the way it's oftentimes depicted. There's a Protestantism that 
has been negatively affected by Roman Catholicism, and it's 
just messed up when it comes to matters of sex. If you're 
called to be single, praise God, serve God, glorify God in your 
singlehood. If you're married, that's not 
a lesser place. You're not as holy. You're not 
as godly. Now, there's certainly things 
that Paul says you've got her to worry about or you've got 
him to think about, certainly, but you can do that and still 
be holy. So this idea of continency or 
celibacy is somehow a better position? Yeah, if you're a papist, 
not if you're a Protestant. Protestants rightly understand 
in 1 Timothy chapter 4, it's a doctrine of demons to forbid 
marriage. That's just horrible. Back to 
this. So marriage, now listen to this, 
because if you think about it, adultery, the commandment as 
given, Deuteronomy 5.18, specifically speaks to married persons. Right? Not talking about single, 
all you single people, I want you to know that someday you 
may get married and when you get married, don't commit adultery. 
God through Moses at Sinai in Exodus 20, God through Moses 
in Deuteronomy 5 in the plains of Moab is addressing married 
people. So the propensity or the temptation 
or perhaps the tendency may be there in one or both parties 
to go outside of that marriage covenant and to engage in this 
wickedness. So listen what the Catechism 
says, again, rightly summarizing Scripture with reference to this. Marriage by those that have not 
the gift of continency, conjugal love, and cohabitation. conjugal love and cohabitation. Brethren, dare I say it, there 
ought to be joyful, frequent, often engaged in relationships 
among married people as a prevention for uncleanness and the temptation 
to go outside of the marriage. If you as a husband or you as 
a wife is holding out on your spouse, you are in sin against 
God. Let me just make that as clear 
as I can possibly make it. You are in sin. Paul says in 
1 Corinthians chapter 7, it is robbery, it is deprivation, it 
is detrimental to your spouse when you engage in that sort 
of a thing. So if that's your practice or 
your pattern, I want to encourage you with every fiber of my being 
To repent, confess your sins, forsake your sins, you will certainly 
find mercy from God, and I guarantee you'll find mercy from your spouse. 
This is a wretched practice, and persons shouldn't fall prey 
to it. And then the catechism goes on 
to say, diligent labor in our callings, shunning all occasions 
of uncleanness, and resisting temptations thereunto. Well, 
in conclusion, first, the means for protection. Turn to Proverbs 
chapter five. Proverbs chapter 5. While you're turning, I'll remind 
you of our confession. Marriage was ordained for the 
mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with 
a legitimate issue, and the preventing of uncleanness. Again, you couldn't 
say it any less romantic than that. Did anybody celebrate Valentine's 
Day that way? I'm so thankful for you, you 
prevent uncleanness in my life. That doesn't typically woo your 
spouse, but that is a lawful and legitimate application. That 
is what scripture teaches. But the means for protection 
specifically relative to adultery is found in Proverbs 5. It's found elsewhere, but notice, 
There are three R's. I call this the three R's of 
sexual purity. Verse 8, remove your way far 
from her and do not go near the door of her house. You get near 
it, you will probably fail. Solomon says, don't go near the 
door of her house. He doesn't say, don't go near 
her bed. He says, don't go near her door. 
You're not that holy. You go near her door, the next 
step may eventually be her bed. So you need to remove your way 
far from anyone that would tempt you or solicit you to evil in 
this regard. The second R is found in verse 
18. Let your fountain be blessed, 
and notice, rejoice with the wife of your youth as a loving 
dear and a graceful doe. Let her breast satisfy you at 
all times and always be enraptured with her love. You see, God is 
not anti-relations in marriage. God is pro-relations in marriage. God made it for the good of his 
creatures. Companionship, children, prevention 
of uncleanness, all purposes ordained by God, given by God 
to Adam, to Eve, and by extension to every creature that comes 
subsequent to them. It is a blessed gift given by 
God to his people. The second R is rejoice. And then the third R is verse 
21. The word isn't there, but the 
concept is, remember. Remember, for the eyes of man, 
the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders 
all his paths. Remove your way far from her, 
rejoice with the wife of your youth, And remember that God 
watches those who go into another person that is not their wives, 
or go with another person that is not their husbands. So the 
means for protection, specifically relative to adultery, is marriage. Secondly, I mentioned there's 
instruction, notice in Proverbs 6. We dealt with this when we 
went through Proverbs. Proverbs 6, 20 to 35. I just want to give you some 
thoughts here. as parents instructing our children. In the first place, 
Solomon highlights the importance of God's law. If we're not teaching 
our children God's law, we are gypping them of a means that 
God uses to restrain their passions. If we are not engaged in discipleship 
with reference to our little ones, and we're not teaching 
them, now again, it's tough, and you've got to walk the tightrope, 
and you don't want to say too much, and create an interest 
that you don't want to do, but it is what it is, and we are 
where we're at, and this culture is riddled with this, and we 
need to counteract that with solid teaching from the law of 
God. Secondly, Solomon gives illustration to show the inevitability 
of punishment for adultery. Notice, I mentioned earlier that 
a man will take another man to task for having violated his 
wife. Notice in verse 30, people do 
not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is 
starving. Yet when he is found, he must 
restore sevenfold. He may have to give up all the 
substance of his house. You see, God's not saying it's 
okay to steal. He's not saying that. In fact, 
the penalty is that he has to pay it back. But he says persons 
understand, right? If somebody's starving to death 
and they go into Walmart and they put a steak under their 
arm and they run out or they get out, again, we don't condone 
it. They have to give it back. They 
have to pay the piper. But we understand it, don't we? Yeah, yes, Solomon assumes that 
we do. And you're all looking at me 
like I'm nuts. If somebody steals a steak because they're starving, 
at least according to Solomon and God, we get it, we understand. 
But notice in verse 32, whoever commits adultery with a woman 
lacks understanding. He who does so destroys his own 
soul. There's the judgment of God in hell. Wounds and dishonor 
he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away. This 
is the problem he gets, or this is the punishment he gets from 
the husband. Verse 34, for jealousy is a husband's 
fury, therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will 
accept no recompense, nor will he be appeased, though you give 
many gifts. See what Solomon says? If you 
do this, you're going to get a good punch right in the eye. 
You're going to get a good punch right in the mouth. You're going 
to get a good punch right in the nose. If you violate that 
man's marriage bed, it's wicked. It's horrible. It's disgusting. 
Get it out of your head. Don't even think about it. Solomon 
as well gives, indicates the consequences involved in order 
to warn his sons. That's good teaching on the part 
of parents. Now, thirdly and finally, the 
use of the commandment, the use of the commandment, the civil 
use. How do the old authors treat sexual sin with reference to 
the civil government? Well, Ursinus says the magistrate 
should punish these heinous sins and abominable transgressions 
with extraordinary punishments. So again, it's gotten so commonplace 
that that kind of a statement horrifies us. Well, then the 
gutters would flow with blood. Yeah, maybe initially, but people 
would learn, right? It's the reality. When you start 
punishing crime, you start punishing as you ought. you'll see a great 
reduction in those sorts of things. If, for instance, you visit Singapore 
and you know if you graffiti on the wall, you will be caned, 
that's a great deterrent so that you don't take your paint can 
and spray it on a wall. You don't want to be caned. Well, 
the same thing obtains in this area as well. In a book written 
by Greg Bonson in the 1970s, it's on homosexuality, it's a 
biblical view, is the subtitle. He makes this observation concerning 
society. He says homosexuality that is 
publicly accepted is symptomatic of a society under judgment. 
You have to agree in terms of Romans 1, 26 and 27. He gave 
them up. This so-called sexual freedom 
is bondage. It's Orwellian. They're calling 
it liberty. They're calling it freedom. We 
know better. This is bondage. This is slavery. This is an indicator that the 
judgment of God is rife. Bonson goes on. He says, homosexuality 
that is publicly accepted is symptomatic of a society under 
judgment, inwardly corrupted to the point of impending collapse. 
Paul the Apostle regarded it as the most overt evidence of 
that degeneracy to which God in His wrath gave over the nations. Really incredible. Again, we 
have drifted far from this thought process even since the 1970s. It's become so rampant. It's 
become so prevalent that at times we don't really give it a lot 
of concern. So the civil use is that we ought 
to pray that God's law would restrain the lusts and the passions 
of vile men and women. Second use of the law of God 
is the pedagogical. The pedagogical, right? The law 
of God shows us our sin so that we see our need for Jesus. Now, 
I don't want a show of hands. In fact, I'm going to tell you, 
please don't raise your hands. But who here has been found out 
with reference to the seventh commandment? Again, don't raise 
your hand. Please don't raise your hand. 
This is one of those commandments that regulates something that 
in another context is lawful. Take the sixth commandment. Most 
of us don't want to kill people. Most of us don't want to murder 
people. Most of us don't want to stop 
the heart of another human being. But most of us, relative to the 
seventh commandment, want to engage in relations with our 
spouse. So it's the regulation of something that in one sense 
is legit, but in another sense is not. And there are times when 
Christians, godly people, can stray from the reservation and 
engage in conduct that is untoward. And I would suggest that the 
Seventh Commandment is one of those particulars, one of those 
things. Again, in my experience, I haven't 
met a lot of Christians who said, you know, I just wandered off 
the reservation. I went down to the mall and I 
slit someone's throat. I haven't heard that. And I'm 
thankful I haven't heard that. But relative to the Seventh Commandment, 
yeah, that's a sin that still plagues the people of God. So 
in terms of the pedagogical function of this particular law, Go to 
Jesus. Go to Christ. It is in Him alone 
that there is forgiveness. It is in Him alone that there 
is cleansing in His precious blood. And then in terms of the 
normative use, how do we use this law day in and day out? Well, in the first place, there 
ought to be abstention from all sexual sin. Don't engage in it, 
don't get near it, don't get close to it. 1 Thessalonians 
4.3 Paul says, for this is the will of God, your sanctification, 
that you should abstain from sexual immorality. That's just 
a given. We are to abstain from sexual 
immorality. Secondly, the practice of biblical 
marriage. The scriptures are clear. This 
is a prevention for uncleanness. If you are married, make sure 
you are married in the way that God says to be. Not only formally 
and technically, but in the day-to-day operations. Perhaps you and your 
spouse ought to re-read 1 Corinthians 7. Perhaps you and your spouse 
ought to re-read Proverbs 5. Perhaps you and your spouse ought 
to re-read some of these passages of Scripture that speak favorably 
concerning the marriage bed. Some bad teaching in the Christian 
church over in history has produced almost this dirtiness that obtains 
with reference to the marriage bed. No, it's undefiled according 
to the apostle in Hebrews chapter 13. It is a good and lawful thing 
and good marriages are going to use that blessing frequently. The mortification of sin. Again, 
Matthew 5, 29 to 30. When Jesus says, pluck out your 
right eye and cut off your right hand, please know that he's speaking 
metaphorically. He doesn't actually mean he wants 
you to gouge your eye out and he wants you to cut your hand 
off. Spurgeon says, yet let no man plead this literally and 
therefore mutilate his body as some foolish fanatics have done. 
Now, it is the case, with reference to sexual sin, that with no arms, 
with no eyes, there'll still be the presence of it. There'll 
still be that heart yearning if you're not dealing with it 
at that level. Christ speaks metaphorically. The Lord highlights the need 
to deal radically with sin. Again, Spurgeon says, better 
a blind saint than a quick-sighted sinner. Better a blind saint 
than a quick-sighted sinner. Well, brethren, again, by way 
of encouragement, with reference to the seventh commandment, I 
speak to you as a brother, as a friend, this is a sin condemned 
by God, and it's horrific with reference to society as a whole. 
With reference to a church, if persons that are members within 
the same church engage in adultery, what do you think happens to 
the church What do you think happens to that community of 
persons that are involved therein? We need to guard our hearts. 
We need to guard our minds. We need, as men, to say with 
Job, I've made a covenant with my eyes. I will not look upon 
a young woman. and you women need to do the 
same thing. This isn't a sin that is only for men, it's a 
sin that women engage in as well. Women are just as inclined to 
engage in rebellion against God with reference to the seventh 
commandment as are men. All of us need to take heed, 
all of us need to watch, and all of us need to pray. Well, 
let's close in a word of prayer. Our Father, thank you for your 
word. Thank you for its clarity concerning these issues that 
affect us in this world. And God, as we consider our own 
hearts, we ask that you would cleanse us in that precious blood 
of the Lord Jesus. As we consider our church, I 
pray that you would protect us from such things. As we consider 
our society, again, we pray to you to have mercy. Our society 
is given over in many respects to just pursue unlawful lust 
and passion and wickedness and rebellion. And we pray that in 
your mercy you would send forth your gospel and save sinners. As Paul said concerning the Corinthians, 
such were some of you. We know the gospel is good news 
and we know that it is the answer for those who are in sin. And 
God, I pray that as gospel preaching goes forth, more and more people 
would hear and more and more people would believe. And we 
pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. We'll 
close with a brief time of meditation.