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Proverbs chapter 6. Proverbs 
chapter 6. I'll read verses 20 to 35. Proverbs chapter six, beginning 
in verse 20. My son, keep your father's command 
and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually 
upon your heart. Tie them around your neck. When 
you roam, they will lead you. When you sleep, they will keep 
you. And when you awake, they will speak with you. For the 
commandment is a lamp and the law a light, reproofs of instruction 
of the way of life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the 
flattering tongue of the seductress. Do not lust after her beauty 
in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by 
means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread, and an adulteress 
will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom 
and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals and 
his feet not be seared? So is he who goes into his neighbor's 
wife. Whoever touches her shall not 
be innocent. 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. Whoever commits adultery with 
a woman lacks understanding. He who does so destroys his own 
soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, 
and his reproach will not be wiped away. 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father in 
heaven, again, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for the 
instruction that we have here from Solomon, ultimately from 
our blessed God. We know this just isn't a collection 
of quick little sayings, but it is the divine-inspired Word 
of the living and true God. So give us ears to hear, hearts 
to receive, and again, forgive us and cleanse us in that precious 
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in His name. Amen. Well, God willing, we'll return 
to our studies in John's Gospel next Sunday morning, and then 
our studies in Ephesians next Sunday night. It may seem a bit 
odd that we're going to take a bit of a detour here in Proverbs 
6, 20 to 35. It is basically a warning against 
adultery. And there's three reasons why 
we're taking this detour. First, we were in the neighborhood. 
We looked at the 6th commandment in some detail this morning, 
so we'll look at the 7th commandment tonight in a bit of detail. Secondly, 
when we look at our section that we've worked through recently 
in Ephesians 5, 22-33, it dealt with the husband and wife relationship. And if you've been married for 
any amount of time, you'll know that there are difficulties along 
the way, there are arguments to be dealt with, there are tensions 
at times, but there is one thing that brings or has the potential 
to bring irreparable damage, and that is the sin of adultery. 
But as well, thirdly, we get some instruction here, at least 
by way of a pattern, on how Solomon instructed his children. So as 
we move along in the book of Ephesians, specifically in chapter 
6 at verse 4, Paul says, fathers, do not provoke your children 
to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of 
the Lord. So Solomon here serves as a good pattern for parental 
instruction with reference to our children. So those are the 
reasons for the detour. Now let's investigate what Solomon 
says here, specifically in chapter 6, at verses 20 to 35. He's already spoken in chapter 
5 in the book of Proverbs with reference to the dangers of adultery. And in chapter 7, he highlights 
the tactics of an adulterous woman. So this wasn't a foreign 
concept. This was obviously a real temptation, 
a real situation against Solomon. Part of the book of Proverbs 
is his instruction of his sons, those sons that would eventually 
occupy the throne, those sons that would succeed him and would 
indeed rule and govern and reign over the nation of Israel. So 
it was imperative that they have self-control. It was imperative 
that they manage things effectively. It was imperative that they didn't 
end up like he does, ultimately, in 1 Kings 11. And so we see 
here this exhortation of a father, specifically in verses 20 to 
29, And then secondly, the consequences for an adulterer in verses 30 
to 35. So note first, with reference 
to the exhortation of a father, there's two subsections here. First, the necessity of God's 
law, verses 20 to 24. And then secondly, the warning 
against adultery in verses 25 to 29. But notice the necessity 
of God's law. He speaks of its instruction 
in verses 20 and 21. My son, keep your father's command 
and do not forsake the law of your mother, bind them continually 
upon your heart, tie them around your neck. So this emphasis on 
his sons to not disregard his and their mother's words. In 
other words, parental instruction is absolutely crucial in the 
context of a Christian home. And children are to give heed 
to that. Listen to Solomon. Keep your 
father's command. Do not forsake the law of your 
mother. Bridges says, God never intended young people to be independent 
of their parents. Instruction from every quarter 
is valuable, but from parents, always supposing them to be godly 
parents, it is the ordinance of God. They will bring you God's 
word, not their own. So again, a good reminder, a 
good admonition for us both as parents to give this kind of 
instruction and for you children to pay heed to this kind of instruction. Your parents are not trying to 
lead you astray. They're not trying to take you down a dark 
path. They're not trying to ruin you or decimate you. Rather, 
they want your good. They want good to happen. They 
want you to know the fear of the Lord. They want you to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and once saved by God's grace, go 
to that law as a pattern for sanctification. The necessity 
here about binding them continually upon your heart and tying them 
around your neck. In other words, I think the idea 
is do not forsake it. Receive that teaching, clutch 
on to that teaching, and don't let that teaching go. We need 
to remember that this teaching is most valuable, it is most 
excellent, it is most wonderful. Now Solomon directs his son to 
consider the blessing of the law in verses 22 and 23. Notice 
the blessing, verse 22. When you roam, they will lead 
you. When you sleep, they will keep you. And when you awake, 
they will speak with you. In other words, they are a constant 
companion. Whether you are up, whether you 
are in bed, where you are in work, whether you're in school, 
no matter where you are, that law of God is a constant companion, 
and it is a most blessed companion for the children of God. And 
then notice he gives the specific reason in verse 23. For the commandment is a lamp, 
and the law a light, reproofs of instruction are the way of 
life. Your word, Psalm 119, 105 says, is a lamp to my feet and 
a light to my path. So Solomon sees the value of 
God's law. Solomon sees the benefit of God's 
law. So Solomon seizes upon the opportunity 
in the book of Proverbs specifically to instruct his sons in the way 
that they should go. He's training them up in the 
way that they should go so that when they're old, they will not 
depart from it. Solomon is putting into practice 
what he has preached throughout this book of Proverbs. And again, 
as far as parents, we ought to take that seriously and see our 
responsibility to bring up our children in the training and 
admonition of the Lord. Now, notice he goes on to highlight 
the protection that the law affords in a general sense in verse 24. And then this serves as a bridge 
to deal specifically with Seventh Commandment situations. So notice 
in verse 24, the benefit of the law, verse 23, the commandment 
is a lamp, the law is a light, reproofs of instruction are the 
way of life. And then notice in verse 24, 
to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of 
a seductress. Now the emphasis is not on the 
intrinsic wickedness of all women. He's not suggesting that every 
single woman out there is dangerous, and you need to fear that. Rather, 
or not rather, but in addition to that, Solomon is not suggesting 
that adulterous men are not liable for their actions. He's not saying 
if all those women would just clean up their act, then every 
man would be great. That's not the point. What he 
is pointing out is the danger of some women falling into this 
category, and hence he warns his son to be on the lookout, 
to be on guard, to make sure that he resists that temptation, 
to make sure that he refuses that particular sin. The existence 
of that kind of temptation out there calls upon you, son, to 
be aware, to be alert, to be mindful, to recognize and then 
to depend upon that law of God that when you roam it leads you, 
when you sleep it keeps you, and when you wake it will speak 
with you. Now the background of this admonition 
or this general principle in verse 24 to keep you from the 
evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress, is the 
seventh commandment. The seventh commandment deals 
with the sins of the flesh. the sins prohibited by the Seventh 
Commandment, which are in Exodus 20, 14, and then Deuteronomy 
5, 18. That's where the Seventh Commandment 
is given its voice. But then as we survey the law 
of God, we notice that the sin of adultery, or the seventh word, 
encompasses a whole slew of sins of the flesh. I'm just going 
to read them off. So adultery, obviously, fornication, incest, 
rape, sodomy, bestiality, unlawful divorce, immodesty, polygamy, 
prostitution, and pornography. So there's a lot of things that 
are behind or applicable with reference to the Seventh Commandment. 
It's like with the Sixth Commandment, you shall not murder. Obviously 
that applies to the man bearing the ax in his neighbor's head 
with malice aforethought. But it applies to abortion. It 
applies to maid. It applies to recklessness. It applies to a whole host of 
things. It applies to heart problems or heart dispositions. And as 
we move through the study tonight, we'll notice that that is in 
view here too. So we've got the seventh commandment, 
but also the 10th commandment. Notice what he goes on to say 
in verse 25. We'll unfold this in a moment. 
Do not lust after her beauty in your heart. So in other words, 
Solomon does what Jesus does in Matthew chapter five. He doesn't 
just externalize the sin. In so far as you don't go into 
your neighbor's wife, you've fulfilled the law. No, you're 
not supposed to engage in heart lust. You're not supposed to 
engage in that sort of conduct that God forbids or prohibits. 
Exodus 20, 17, Deuteronomy 5, 21. We are told very specifically, 
you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. And so we've got the external 
application, the act of these sexual sins, but we've got the 
internal heart disposition, the lust that fuels those particular 
sins. So that's the general statement 
in verse 24. Now notice he gives a specific 
warning against adultery in verses 25 to 29. He gives an admonition, 
verse 25, and then he gives an argument in verses 26 to 29. 
Notice the admonition, verse 25, do not lust after her beauty 
in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. Jesus says 
in Matthew 5, 28, but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman 
to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So again, whether you actually 
engage in the particular activity, if it's in the heart, you need 
to kill it, you need to resist it, you need to refuse it, you 
need to be like Joseph in Potiphar's house who runs from that temptation. And so Solomon emphasizes that 
very thing. C.H. Spurgeon commenting on Matthew 
5. He says, 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. Proverbs 4, 23. Keep your heart 
with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. 
many emphases throughout the book of Proverbs on self-control, 
self-management. It's a fruit of the spirit, self-control, 
according to Paul in Galatians chapter 5. Self-control and self-government 
go a long way to helping a man navigate in this present evil 
age. Without self-control, without 
self-management or government, you are going to be a lawless, 
reckless rebel against the living and true God. Again, good parental 
instruction here. We encourage, we exhort, we command 
our kids to engage in self-control. They're not allowed to lose their 
minds. They're not allowed to engage in whatever lawless activity 
they want to engage in. And then notice, one more quote 
here from Watson. He 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. That's a very powerful statement. 
When you read the writers, the older writers, they really impact 
with what they say concerning these particular sins. Again, 
verse 25, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. Look over 
at chapter 7. Chapter 7, I've already mentioned, 
he gives the tactics of the adulterous woman, and specifically in chapter 
7 at verses 10 to 23. And there a woman met him," this 
is talking about the foolish young man, the simple man devoid 
of understanding according to verse 7. And then in verse 10 
it says, and there a woman met him with the attire of a harlot 
and a crafty heart. She was loud and rebellious. 
Her feet would not stay at home. At times, she was outside. At 
times, she was in the open square, lurking at every corner. So she 
caught him and kissed him. With an impudent face, she said 
to him, I have peace offerings with me. Today I've paid my vows, 
so I came out to meet you, diligently to seek your face, and I have 
found you. I have spread my bed with tapestry, 
colored coverings of Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed 
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of 
love until morning. Let us delight ourselves with 
love. This isn't a prostitute. I'm going to argue in the next 
section in Proverbs chapter six. It's not dealing with a prostitute. 
He's dealing with an adulterous woman. And we see that specifically 
in verse 19 of chapter seven. For my husband is not at home. He has gone on a long journey. 
He has taken a bag of money with him and will come home on the 
appointed day. Now notice verse 21, with her 
enticing speech she caused him to yield. Not her gorgeous looks, 
though probably she had something going on, but it was her enticing 
speech. It was the flattering tongue. 
It was the promise of benefit. It was the promise of good things. 
With her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went 
after her as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the 
correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver as 
a bird hastens to the snare. He did not know it would cost 
his life. And on the heels of that description 
of the tactics of the adulterous woman, listen to Solomon in verse 
24. Now therefore listen to me, my 
children. Pay attention to the words of 
my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways. Do not 
stray into her paths, for she has cast down many wounded, and 
all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the 
way to hell, descending to the chambers of death. He's pleading 
with them. He's exhorting them. He's entreating 
them. Give me your heart, son. Don't 
give your heart to the adulterous woman. And so with reference 
to the admonition in verse 25 of chapter 6, don't lust after 
her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids. 
Now here's his argument in verses 26 to 29. And just as I mentioned 
earlier, we need to clarify that he's dealing with an adulterous 
woman. So verse 26, he says, Now it's 
a bit of a difficulty in terms of translation, but I think the 
focus may be on the sin of adultery versus prostitution. Now, Solomon 
isn't endorsing prostitution any more than he endorses theft 
in the succeeding passage, but he is rather highlighting or 
contrasting the difference between prostitution and an adulterous 
woman. The price of a harlot is a crust 
of bread, but the price of adultery with a married woman is one's 
own life. So when it says in 26a, for by 
means of a harlot, a man is reduced to a crust of bread and an adulteress 
will prey upon his precious life. Again, he's not suggesting that 
prostitution is fine. He's rather giving us a comparison. The ESV translates it this way, 
for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but 
a married woman hunts down a precious life. The NIV is similar, for 
a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man's wife 
preys on your very life. It's not gonna just cost you 
a loaf of bread, it's gonna cost you your everlasting soul. It's 
not gonna just cost you whatever it costs today for a loaf of 
bread, it's gonna cost you in succeeding generations. It is 
going to leave a mark. It is going to leave a mark upon 
you in a manner, in a way that prostitution doesn't. And again, 
just want to make sure I qualify this, this is not an endorsement 
of prostitution. And then notice the recurring 
emphasis on the fact that this is indeed an adulterous woman. 
Notice specifically in verse 26, an adulteress will prey upon 
his precious life. And then verse 29, so is he who 
goes into his neighbor's wife. And then in the references in 
verses 32 and 34, Aswell demonstrates this. So the bottom line from 
what Solomon is saying is don't do this, and here's the reason 
why. It's going to hurt you. It's 
going to devastate you. It's going to damage you. This 
isn't playing around. This isn't flirting. This isn't 
something that you can do somewhat innocuously or innocently. This 
is going to ruin you. It will bring devastation. So 
again, Ephesians 5, 22 to 33, all of us can testify that there 
are some difficult patches in a good marriage. But you're able 
to work through those difficult patches in a good marriage. It 
is difficult to work through the sin of adultery. I'm not 
saying it's an impossibility. I'm not saying that it never 
has happened. But I am suggesting that it's 
a whole lot more different than, hey, dinner wasn't ready at 5.30, 
or pick up your socks, you lazy beast. The bottom line is, is 
that Solomon wants his sons to take heed to the reality that 
if you go into your neighbor's wife, you are dancing with the 
devil himself. And you need to be alert, you 
need to be on guard, you need to bind that law around your 
neck so that you do not depart to the left or to the right. 
So Solomon is not saying prostitution is acceptable. He is saying, 
however, that adultery is a vile and wicked thing. And then notice 
that he goes on to give the inevitability of punishment for the adulterer. 
Notice his logic in verse 27. Can a man take fire to his bosom 
and his clothes not be burned? Of course not. You can take fire, 
put it to your bosom and not burn your clothes. Of course 
it's gonna burn. That's what fire does. And then 
notice he goes on to say, can one walk on hot coals and his 
feet not be seared? Of course he can't. You walk 
on hot coals and something's going to happen to your feet. 
There's a chemical reaction involved and you're going to get burned. 
It's going to sear. It's going to damage. And then 
from that, he concludes with the point in verse 29. So is 
he who goes into his neighbor's wife, whoever touches her shall 
not be innocent. So he uses these analogies in 
the created order, fired the buzzer, walking on hot coals 
and bare feet, to demonstrate the inevitability that results 
in a man who commits adultery with an adulterous woman. And 
then that brings us to the consequences for an adulterer in verses 30 
to 35. He first presents a contrast 
with the thief, and then he sets forth the consequences for the 
adulterer. Notice the contrast with the 
thief in verses 30 to 32. 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. So he's speaking to what would 
be a truism, a general principle. He doesn't say it's okay to commit 
theft. He's not endorsing the commission 
of theft. In fact, he demands sevenfold 
recompense for the theft that has occurred. But brethren, face 
it, if you heard that a man went into Walmart and stole a ham 
because he was starving to death, you kind of understand the motivation. I mean, you can't condone the 
theft. You don't endorse the shoplifting. You don't say, well, that's perfectly 
acceptable because he was hungry. No, it's an offense. It's criminal. It's wrong. But there's a place 
where you understand it, right? Or a poor man goes into Walmart 
to steal a ham to feed his starving children. Again, we don't endorse 
it. He has to pay back. He has to 
deal with the ferryman. But we understand it. We get 
it. There's a sense wherein we know 
the reality involved. People don't despise thieves 
if they steal in order to feed themselves. And this does not 
mean approval, but it means a recognition of the pitiable condition of 
a man who is forced, or rather feels forced, to go steal in 
order to provide food for himself and for his children. But the 
obvious contrast here is that the thief who steals to satisfy 
himself when he is starving is different than the man who steals 
his neighbor's wife. not because of any need, not 
because of any lack, not because of any deprivation, but because 
of his own godlessness, because of his own wickedness, because 
of his own wretchedness. So back to verse 20, 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. I mean, you do the time or do 
the crime, you got to do the time. He needs to be reminded 
of that. Exodus 21 deals with recompense. Usually it's two to five. The 
sevenfold here may represent a full payment back. this giving 
up the substance of his house, he may have to sell himself into 
indentured servitude. That was a reality in Old Covenant 
to Israel. If you were caught stealing and 
you had no money with which to pay it back, you would be a slave 
or servant to that particular family and you'd work off your 
debt. You wouldn't go to jail to pay 
your fine or your duty to the state. You'd pay back the victim 
of your crime. It's kind of an interesting phenomena. The Bible is pro-victim. not 
pro-state, making money off the victim. And so when it comes 
to that, he's not saying it's okay. But then notice the contrast 
with reference to the adulterer, the man who steals his neighbor's 
wife. Whoever commits adultery with 
a woman lacks understanding. He who does so destroys his own 
soul. So it's not the giving up all the substance of his house, 
it's giving up all the substance of his soul. It's not deprivation 
in terms of the temporal, it's decimation in terms of the spiritual. It's not just a temporary thing, 
but it is a long lasting, eternal thing. And so with reference 
to the adulterer, he lacks understanding. And then with reference to that 
contrast, when we read in verse 30, people do not despise a thief, 
I would suggest when we get to verse 32, it's not stated, but 
I think we've all felt it. What's the tendency when you 
hear that somebody cheated on your friend? You despise the 
cheater. You don't despise the thief who's 
starving to death and goes into Walmart to bag a ham, but you 
do when a man goes into your neighbor's wife. There is that 
despising, there is that disgust, there is that disdain that occurs 
in the hearts of most people when they see that most sacred 
bond, the covenant of marriage, fractured and ripped apart because 
of a man's lack of self-control. Listen to Gill. He says, the 
thief lacks bread and therefore steals, but this man lacks wisdom 
and therefore acts so foolish apart. The one does it to satisfy 
hunger, the other a brutish lust. Bridges says, but the sin of 
the adulterer claims no sympathy. No one's ever sympathetic to 
the adulterer. Nobody's like, well, I pity you, 
I understand you, you know, I just want to ache alongside of you 
for this vicious and vile crime that you've engaged in. That's 
not what happens. The sin of the adulterer claims 
no sympathy. His plea is not the cry of hunger, 
but of lust. Not want, but wantonness. Not the lack of bread, but of 
understanding. And so just as the thief is in 
fact going to have to give up all the substance of his house, 
the contrast with verse 32, he who does so destroys his own 
soul. And then that brings Solomon 
to deal with the consequences for the adulterer in verses 33 
to 35. He leaves untouched here. the consequences relative to 
God. He deals with that in Proverbs 
5 and Proverbs 7. We've already sort of seen that 
in Proverbs chapter 7. For she is cast down, verse 26, 
many wounded and all who were slain by her were strong men. 
Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of 
death." So he certainly deals with the God-word ramifications 
for the adulterer, but here specifically in verses 33 to 35, he deals 
with the man-word ramifications. He deals with what you're likely 
to get, son, when you engage or if you engage in this kind 
of sinful activity. Now notice he faces the wrath 
of man, verses 33 to 35. Wounds and dishonor he will get 
and his reproach will not be wiped away. What does that mean? Well, verse 34 is gonna explain 
it. For jealousy is a husband's fury. That's explanatory of verse 33. Where does this fellow get the 
wounds and dishonor he gets? He gets it from the husband of 
the woman who was violated by this godless man. He goes over 
and he dots his eye. He goes over and he punches his 
nose. Now brethren, I'm not advocating, I'm not endorsing, I'm not suggesting 
that Solomon is giving tacit approval. What Solomon is doing 
is telling you the way the world is. For the most part, people 
want to spice these when they steal to satisfy their hunger. 
But for the most part, everybody despises an adulterer or an adulteress. He's dealing with adulterer here. 
Not that women are somehow above this. No, women can be adulteresses 
and can be, you know, the sorts of people that bring these things 
on as well. But Solomon is telling you what 
is. He's telling you what is, this is the reality. Wounds and 
dishonor he will get, his reproach will not be wiped away, for jealousy 
is a husband's fury, therefore he will not spare in the day 
of vengeance. So the infliction of wounds and 
dishonor. Now, the actual penalty for adultery, 
according to Leviticus 18 and Deuteronomy chapter 20, and then 
again in Deuteronomy chapter 22, is capital punishment. So the wounds and dishonor he's 
getting here, it's not from the civil state. It's not in preparation 
for the death penalty. We're going to give you a few 
wounds and dishonor, and then we're going to let you have it 
in terms of the capital punishment. No, it's the husband. The husband's 
furious. The husband's outraged. The husband 
is insulted. The husband has been stolen from. And so the husband responds in 
kind, for jealousy is a husband's fury. Therefore, he will not 
spare in the day of vengeance. And then it goes on to say in 
verse 35, he will accept no recompense, nor will he be appeased, though 
you give him many gifts. You see what Solomon is saying. 
It's a much different category than the thief of food who's 
starving. This is a thief of a man's wife 
who's not starving, who has no want, who has no lack, who has 
no deprivation. Rather, it is a man who is driven 
by and governed by his lusts. And so Solomon says, if you go 
down this path, son, you are going to end up in great jeopardy. You are going to be destroyed. 
If the husband doesn't kill you, the civil state will. And when 
that happens, you are then in the hands of a thrice holy God. And the wrath of God relative 
to sexual sin is spoken of by Solomon. Turn back to Proverbs 
5, specifically in verses 21 to 23. For the ways of man are 
before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. 
His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, and he is caught 
in the cords of his sin. He shall die for lack of instruction, 
and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray." We've already 
seen 7, 24 to 27. We've got the teaching of Jesus. Jesus says it's better to cut 
off your right hand and pluck out your right eye, enter into 
heaven maimed, than be whole and be in sin. Spurgeon made 
the observation there, better a blind saint than a quick-sighted 
sinner. Or the declaration of the Apostle 
Paul in Hebrews 13.4, he says, marriage is honorable among all 
and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 
We looked at Revelation 21.8 this morning to see that murderers 
find their place in the lake of fire. Guess who else finds 
their place, unrepentant of course, in the lake of fire? There is 
the sexually immoral. There are those people who didn't 
govern their lusts. There are those people who didn't 
heed the admonition. There are those people that thought, 
well, you know, this is just a little thing, just flirting 
a little bit, just lusting a little bit, just looking at a little 
porn. There's no little porn. There's no little flirt. There's 
no little bit of sexual sin that is somehow acceptable. There's 
no little fornication. There's no little homosexuality. 
There's no little bit of these sins that is somehow acceptable 
to God Most High. If that's the mindset, cast it 
out. Because the Lord Jesus Christ 
said, pluck out the eye, cut off the hand. Now, he's speaking 
metaphorically. Origen, one of the early church 
fathers, took him seriously and castrated himself because he 
didn't want to sin that particular sin. But he is speaking metaphorically. In other words, he's saying, 
deal radically with this sin. Don't let it bubble up in your 
heart. Don't let it rise up. Don't give it vent. Don't give 
it a little space. Don't treat it like a little 
kitty cat that you can just set in your lap and pet. I remember 
a sermon series on Cain and Abel by Albert N. Martin, and he uses 
that very illustration. Sinners think that sin is like 
a little kitty cat. You can just take that little 
kitty cat right in your lap if you're so inclined. I'd prefer 
a puppy, but you take that little kitty cat and you just pat it 
and stroke it and you enjoy it. He says, that's not sin. Sin 
is a roaring lion. Sin comes to pounce. Sin can't 
be negotiated with. It can't be trafficked in. It 
can't be bartered with. Just a little bit of harmless 
flirting, just a little bit of harmless pornography, just a 
little bit of harmless. No, it's not harmless. Listen 
to Solomon. Listen to the word of the living 
and true God. So the population in the Lake of Fire includes 
murderers, and it includes sexually immoral people. Again, we need 
to make sure we qualify that unrepentant. There's a blessed 
statement of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6, 9 to 11. 
I'm going to end the sermon here, but I'll put it right here now. 
Sexual sin is not the unpardonable sin. Murder is not the unpardonable 
sin. When it comes to murder, when 
it comes to adultery, when it comes to sexual sin of all sort, 
we know that there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be 
feared. 1 Corinthians 6, 9 to 11, 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, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor 
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the 
kingdom of God. Well, we understand that. That's the killing aspect 
of God's holy law. You commit this crime and you 
will do the time. You will be cut off and excluded 
from the kingdom of God Most High. But you see, Paul doesn't 
stop there. And one of the interesting things 
about the church at Corinth, what's the city of Corinth? It 
was the botched and godless, sensual city. There was all kinds 
of wickedness, all kinds of sins in the flesh. Remember, the apostle 
had to deal with incest in 1 Corinthians 5. He had to deal with prostitution 
in 1 Corinthians 6. Well, why is that? Because the 
city was flooded with it. These people had come out of 
that background. So Paul goes on to say, after underscoring 
that these people will not inherit the kingdom of God, and then 
he says, and such were some of you, but you were washed, you 
were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the 
Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. So there is forgiveness 
with God in terms of these particular sins. If you're guilty, if I'm 
guilty, What do we do? We repent, we forsake, we find 
mercy from God Most High. The reality is, brethren, is 
that there is forgiveness in and through the blood of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. But if we're not repentant, if 
we're not believing on Jesus, if there's no justification by 
faith, the consequences relative to the sin of adultery is the 
wrath of man, and that is outshined ultimately by the wrath of God 
Most High. Now, in conclusion, I want to 
just summarize the wickedness of adultery. The wickedness of 
adultery. The effect upon the adulterer. 
The effect upon the adulterer. It's soul destruction. It's soul 
damning. Listen again to Solomon. Whoever 
commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding. He who does 
so destroys his own soul. Now, between the world and the 
devil and other remaining corruption that you and I have, we don't 
need to help it along. We don't need to advance the 
cause of Satan. We don't need to advance the 
cause of a fleshly, sensual age in which we live. We need to 
resist it. We need to reject it. We need 
to refuse it. We need to run from it. Secondly, 
the effect upon the other party. So here the spotlight is upon 
the man, but the adulteress is there too. It's an interesting 
phenomena. You can't commit adultery alone. 
You have to have another partner, another person, and that person 
is married. Fornication is unmarried, persons 
engaging in that which is reserved for the covenantal context of 
marriage. But those who are married engage in this particular activity, 
and there is an effect not only upon the one who initiates, but 
upon the one who engages with them. Listen to Watson. 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 it 
is to be an instrument to draw another to hell. So there's a 
fact upon you and upon the other person. then Dabney argues that 
there is an effect upon society as a whole. And when you look 
at our day and age, we've got the murder problem, to be sure. 
I highlighted a few of those particulars this morning. We 
got a Seventh Commandment problem big time. We've got lots of lacks 
of self-control. We've got lots of being governed 
by glance. We've got lots of unlawfulness. rampant around us. It's pretty 
commonplace today to hear of even men in public office, men 
in pulpits, men all over the world that commit adultery or 
women who commit adultery. Listen to what Dabney says, R.L. 
Dabney, he's a Southern Presbyterian. He says, were all to take the 
license of the adulterer, men would in due time be reduced 
precisely to the degradation of wild beasts. The sin of the 
adulterer, therefore, is scarcely less enormous than that of the 
murderer. The latter, murder, destroys 
man's temporal existence. The former, adultery, destroys 
all that makes existence a boon. It is calculated for devastation. It is calculated for decimation. It is calculated to ruin not 
only both parties, but how do children and families respond 
to that? Now again, God's grace is wonderful. God's grace is glorious. God's 
grace gets us through things that we never thought we could 
get through. But the damaging effect upon 
a family in the wake of an adulterous relationship is horrifying. It is horrible. Let us listen 
to Solomon and resist the temptation and refuse it. I would suggest, 
secondly, the means for protection. Good marriages. Good marriages. Our confession gives us three 
purposes for marriage. That doesn't mean that that's 
the authoritative standard. It takes it right out of the 
Bible. It defines it this way in 25.2. Marriage was ordained 
for the mutual help of husband and wife. It wasn't good that 
Adam was alone, right? He needed a helper comparable 
to him. For the increase of mankind with 
a legitimate issue, so procreation, and the preventing of uncleanness. The preventing of uncleanness 
there means sexual sin. What's the remedy to sexual sin? It's God-ordained, God-sanctioned, 
God-approved relations in the covenantal context of marriage. That's his remedy. That's the 
purpose. I've joked before that a man, 
you know, proposing to a girl doesn't want to necessarily say, 
honey, I want you to be my bride for the prevention of uncleanness. 
You're probably not going to win her over with your romantic 
talk, but that's part of it. That's a purpose in it. That's 
what God has given it, or one of the reasons why God has given 
it. And then Solomon has some really good instruction in chapter 
5 in terms of a good marriage, such that you will not be prone 
to wander, prone to stray. And now, brethren, it takes both 
parties here. Paul speaks very clearly in 1 
Corinthians 7 that a man has authority over his wife's body 
and a wife has authority over a man's body. Again, covenantal 
context of marriage, not every man over every woman or every 
woman over every man. But in the covenantal context 
of marriage, Paul says the man has authority, the woman has 
authority. What's his point? Don't deprive one another. Don't 
do that. You're creating a powder keg. 
Might as well just throw a match on it right now. Don't do that. 
The only time, the only season that you would deprive one another 
is to come apart for prayer and fasting. But even that doesn't 
need to be 40 days. You need to return to the God-given 
ordinance of marriage or the aspect of marriage that is a 
prevention of uncleanness. So notice Solomon in chapter 
five. He wants, well, let's just read verse one. My son, pay attention 
to my wisdom, lend your ear to my understanding, that you may 
preserve discretion and your lips may keep knowledge. For 
the lips of an immoral woman drip honey and her mouth is smoother 
than oil. But in the end, she is bitter as wormwood, sharp 
as a two-edged sword, her feet go down to death, her steps lay 
hold of hell, lest you ponder her path of life, her ways are 
unstable, you do not know that. Isn't it amazing that people 
will hear that and will just run headlong into it? They're simple. It's folly. It's wrong. You need 
to pay attention. You need to see what's at stake 
here. Verse seven, therefore, hear 
me now, my children, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 
And then he gives three R's here, I think, for sexual purity. The first R is verse eight, remove 
your way far from her and do not go near the door of her house. 
Right? Removal. Don't click that button. Don't go near that door. Don't 
go down that road. Take steps necessary to resist 
the potential temptation. This isn't legalism, brethren. 
This isn't do this and you'll live. No, justified by grace 
alone through faith alone, Christian believers should want to imbibe 
a pursuit of holiness. And so thus, we take those steps 
necessary for not, you know, literally cutting off hands and 
gouging out eyes. We can alter our schedule a little 
bit so that we're not in a precarious position. So remove your way 
far from her and do not go near the door of her house, lest you 
give your honor to others and your years to the cruel one. 
So the first R toward sexual purity is remove. The second 
R is verse 18. This jives with 1 Corinthians 
7. Look at verse 18. This is rejoice. Rejoice! Let your fountain be 
blessed and rejoice with the wife of your youth. What's a 
good means for the avoidance or prevention of uncleanness? 
It's to obey the apostle in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. It's to obey the apostle 
in Hebrews chapter 13. The marriage bed is undefiled. It's not wicked, it's not dirty, 
it's not icky. That's the place, the covenantal 
context for these relations. And so God doesn't look down, 
no, God made Adam, He made Eve, He brought Eve to Adam. Guess 
what they most likely were engaged in or were going to do at some 
point when they figured everything out? God is not anti. God is anti outside of covenant 
marriage. He's not anti within covenant 
marriage. If you've got a prudish bent 
to you, or you've got this, well, it's kind of icky, you need to 
take your mind to Proverbs chapter 5, verse 18, and Hebrews chapter 
13, and verse 4, and 1 Corinthians chapter 7, and see that God is 
not anti relations. God is pro-relations provided 
it's in the context of marriage. That's Solomon's counsel. So you've got remove, rejoice, 
and then remember. We already read this section. 
The word remember is absent, but I think that's what he wants 
you to do. He says, for the ways of man are before the eyes of 
the Lord, verse 21, and he ponders all his paths. In other words, 
remember, the eyes of Yahweh are in every place. They behold 
the good and the evil. You go through the door of her 
house, right into her bed. God sees that. You know, nobody's 
up, nobody's around, you and your computer. God sees that. 
Remember is what Solomon is enjoining upon us. For the ways of man 
are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. His own iniquities entrap the 
wicked man, and he is caught in the cords of his sin. He shall 
die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly, 
he shall go astray. So remove your way, rejoice with 
your wife or your husband, and remember that God ponders all 
your paths. It's a reality. He's an omniscient 
being. Remember Psalm 139 this morning. He deals with the omnipotence 
of God. He deals with the omnipresence 
of God. He deals with the omniscience of God. God knows all things. 
Not by sort of a discursive analysis. He's not learning. He's not growing 
in his understanding. All things are always known to 
God. He always has every bit of knowledge that there possibly 
is available to him at all times. It's not even available to him. There's no accessing it for God. He ponders all our paths. So remove, rejoice, and remember. And then I would suggest fourthly, 
or thirdly, we remember the pattern of instruction for parents. This 
will help us when we get to Ephesians 6.4. Solomon highlights the importance 
of God's law. Solomon uses very vivid, very 
lively, very real illustrations to show the wretchedness of adultery. That's not a bad teaching technique. When Jesus wanted to caution 
the disciples about anxiety, he points to birds and he points 
to lilies. Solomon was typical in the teaching 
manner of our Lord Jesus. He was typical in terms of kingship. 
Christ is a greater king, according to Matthew 20, 12, 42. But what 
Solomon does in terms of teaching, we see our Lord Jesus Christ 
do that as well. Solomon gives a comparison to 
demonstrate the vileness of adultery. He appeals to his children at 
the level of, oh yeah, I don't really despise a thief because 
he's starving to death. I have some pity for him. I have 
some compassion for him. When it comes to the adulterer, 
there's no pity. There's no compassion. Nobody gets an award for that. 
Nobody's recognized and said, wow, we're going to applaud you 
for the wretched behavior that you have engaged in. And Solomon 
lists the consequences involved in order to warn his sons. I 
want to end on that high note of gospel blessing. There is 
forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared. If you are 
guilty, if anyone that you know is guilty and you have a chance 
to speak with them, encourage them with the gospel of Jesus 
Christ the Lord. There is forgiveness. There is 
mercy. Hebrews 9.22 lays down the principle, 
without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. But the 
blood was shed. The blood came, or is the blood 
of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And 
that blood is efficacious to wash us from all our sins, the 
sins of adultery, the sins of murder. There is forgiveness 
with God that he may be feared. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for the clarity and the consistency of 
your holy word. We pray that you would give us 
ears to hear and hearts to receive these things. And as we look 
around, our generation, cause us to be on guard, cause us to 
be watchful and prayerful, cause us as well to remove our way 
from those temptations and sins that that seek to devour as well. God, help us in our marriages 
to rejoice with our husbands, our wives, and to delight in 
the good gifts that you have given to your people. And God, 
help us to be mindful of your omniscience, to know that you 
are pondering our paths. And may we seek by grace, through 
faith in our risen Lord, by the presence and the power of the 
Holy Spirit, to pursue those things that are pleasing in your 
sight. And we ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 
We'll close with a brief time of meditation.