Introduction: Let's review what we covered in the past six studies. The keeping of the law has never saved anyone.
- "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16)
The truth is, salvation has never been by the keeping of the law. It was not that way in the Old Testament, it is not that way now, and it will not be that way in the future or during the Millennium. This is why Hebrews tells us that salvation has always been through Jesus, "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." (Hebrews 4:2)
The purpose for the law was never to save but to show us our need of salvation. It is compared to three things in the Scriptures:
- A schoolmaster; Galatians 3:24-25, The schoolmaster was not the teacher, but brought the student to the teacher.
- A plumbline; Amos 7:7-8, The plumbline did not straighten a wall, but showed its need of straightening.
- A mirror; James 1:23-25, A mirror does not clean a man's face, but shows the need for washing the face.
The Ten Commandments can easily be divided into two groups of five:
- Commandments 1-5 have to do with our relationship to the LORD. The phrase "the LORD thy God" is found in each one. They have to do with piety.
- Commandments 6-10 have to do with our relationship to one another. The word "thou" is found in each one. They have to do with probity.
In the original language of the Old Testament, these 10 commandments were neither numbered nor divided. The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally divided them into two groups, the first of which consists of the first four commandments while the second is made up of the last six. However, the Jews have, from their earliest records, divided them into the two groups of five I mentioned above.
There is another interesting fact concerning these Ten Commandments. All of them deal with three areas; thought, word, and deed.
- Commandments 1-2 = thought; verses 2-6
- Commandment 3 = word; verses 7
- Commandments 4-5 = deed; verses 8-12
- Commandments 6-8 = deed; verses 13-15
- Commandment 9 = word; verse 16
- Commandment 10 = thought; verse 17
** The first commandment is found in Exodus 20:1-3, "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me." We found that idolatry is a grievous sin and God puts it first on His list of ten commandments. Why first? If our foundation is wrong, our structure will be shaky.
** The second commandment is found in Exodus 20:4-6. The second commandment is not a restating of the first, but rather the stating of another commandment. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Not only is it forbidden to have other gods before God, it is equally forbidden to make and have other gods in your possession.
** The third commandment is found in Exodus 20:7, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." The third commandment goes much further than the mere mispronunciation of His name. Taking His name in vain also included how we use His name and how we live as Christians.
** The fourth commandment is found in Exodus 20:8-11, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." The Sabbath Day of the Old Testament was given as a sign for the people of Israel and was to be observed until was fulfilled in Jesus. There is no Christian Sabbath; never has been and never will be. Today but there is the principle of rest and the example set by the early New Testament believers to meet for worship on the first day of the week. We do not have a Christian Sabbath to observe but we do have a command to not forsake the assembling ourselves together as the manner of some is.
** The fifth commandment is found in Exodus 20:12, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." This commandment completes the first grouping of five commandments. As I mentioned earlier, the first five commandments deal with our relationship to God and piety toward Him. What is piety? Piety is the state or quality of being pious, especially concerning devotion and reverence to the Lord. It also means a devotion and reverence to parents and family. (American Heritage Dictionary)
The remaining five commandments do not deal with piety but probity. Again, what is probity? It is uprightness and honesty, and, as stated earlier, these commandments deal with our relationship to one another.
** The sixth commandment is found in Exodus 20:13, "Thou shalt not kill." Is this kind of killing simply the taking of a human life? Does it include the taking of human life no matter what the reason? There are 10 words in the Old Testament used for the word kill. Exodus 20:13 uses the ninth meaning, which means, to break or dash in pieces; to kill, to slay, in a violent, unjust manner. It means to murder.
Continuing now in the last division of five commandments, we come to the seventh commandment, again dealing with another aspect of probity, that is, our honesty and uprightness with others.
** The seventh commandment is found in Exodus 20:14, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." There is probably not a clearer commandment among the ten. This verses means exactly what it says but has more than one application. "Preacher, what does this verse mean?" It means that you do not have God's permission to commit adultery, whether spiritual or physical, period, and that it is sin to do so.
- - Adultery means voluntary sexual relations between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. (American Heritage Dictionary)
- - An adulterer is one who commits adultery. (American Heritage Dictionary)
- - Adulterate is another form of the word and it means to make impure by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients. (American Heritage Dictionary)
Is it possible for Christians commit adultery? According to the Word of God, Christians can and have committed this horrible sin. King David did and it certainly cost him more than he ever thought he'd have to pay. His story is found in 2 Samuel 11-12 and also in Psalms 32 & 51.
David stayed home from going to battle, removed his armor and took a well deserved rest. However, he should not have stayed home at this time. He should have been with his men fighting in battle.
David saw his neighbor Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, coveted her, and took her for his own. He committed adultery and she became pregnant with his child. "And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child." (2 Samuel 11:5)
He tried to get out of the mess he was in by sending for her husband, but Uriah was a better man than David at this time and refused to spend time with Bathsheba while his men were fighting in battle. "And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing." (2 Samuel 11:11)
So, David arranged for his demise and had Joab place Uriah in the front of the hottest battle where he quickly was killed. Then David married Bathsheba, a baby boy was soon born to them, but the baby died. At this point, David confesses his sin and gets right with the Lord. Psalms 32 and 51 were David's prayers of confession. But, for nine long months, David lived with this sin in his life and never dealt with it. Remember, the sin you refuse to deal with today will deal with you tomorrow! Adultery is one sin that will surely find you out!
For this message, we will take a look at Psalm 51. A person can be forgiven of adultery, but it will cost him something before forgiveness comes. Jesus paid for the sin of adultery on Calvary, but it will cost you something for committing adultery.
1. What did David call his sin? - Psalm 51:1-2
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."
- Here David describes his sin with three words:
* Transgression; here it means rebellion. David had become a rebel when he wilfully defied God's law. For example:
- "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's," (Exodus 20:17) but he coveted a beautiful woman.
- "Thou shalt not commit adultery," (Exodus 20:14) but he committed adultery.
- "Thou shalt not kill," (Exodus 20:13) but he murdered Uriah.
- When we sin wilfully, it is nothing short of unadulterated rebellion against God and His Word.* Iniquity; this refers to the crookedness of sin and how it makes a straight person crooked.
- When David committed the sin of adultery, he became very devious, very crooked.
- Sir Walter Scott wrote, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"* Sin; here it means to miss the mark, to miss the goal, to disappoint. When David committed the sin of adultery, he fell short of the goal God had for him.
- Adultery affects the whole being of a man or woman. It:
* Affected David's will in that he became a rebel.
* Affected David's character in that he became crooked.
* Affected David's goals in that he missed the mark.
2. What did David want God to do with his sin? - Psalm 51:1-2
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."
- Here David describes his desire with three phrases:
* Blot out; this comes from a phrase describing the blotting out of a debt. When David committed the sin of adultery, he became a debtor to God for his sin.
* Wash me; this refers to defilement, which means that David had become dirty. Adultery is a dirty sin! Remember the word adulterate? It means to make impure by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients. Adultery fits this definition.
* Cleanse me; this refers to being cleansed from a disease, in particular, the disease of leprosy. Disease, that is, leprosy, is a type of sin throughout the entire Bible. When David committed the sin of adultery, he became spiritually diseased and needed cleansing.
3. What had happened to David when he committed the sin of adultery?
- Before David committed the sin of adultery:
* He was a friend of God.
* He was straight.
* He met God's goal.
* He was rich in God's blessings.
* He was clean.
* He was spiritually healthy.- After David committed the sin of adultery:
* He was a rebel.
* He was crooked.
* He missed God's mark.
* He became a debtor.
* He was defiled.
* He was spiritually diseased.
4. Did adultery affect any other areas in David's life?
- It affected his eyes. - Psalm 51:3 "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me."
- It affected his mind. - Psalm 51:6 "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom."
- It affected his ears. - Psalm 51:8 "Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice."
- It affected his bones. - Psalm 51:8 "Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice."
- It affected his heart. - Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
- It affected his spirit. - Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
- It affected his fellowship with God. - Psalm 51:11 "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me."
- It affected his joy. - Psalm 51:12 "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."
- It affected his testimony. - Psalm 51:13 "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee."
- It affected his hands. - Psalm 51:14 "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness."
- It affected his tongue. - Psalm 51:14-15 "Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise."
- It affected his ministry. - Psalm 51:18 "Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem."
Conclusion: The truth is, when David committed the sin of adultery, it affected his whole life, Bathsheba's whole life, the life of their son, the lives of his whole family, and the life of the nation. It is a sin that God hates. You might say, "Preacher, I have never committed adultery!" This may be true, but lest ye forget just how serious this sin is, let's all be reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:27-28, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
Also please remember the words of James 4:1-10, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." It is sin to commit adultery with another person, and it is sin to commit adultery in your heart, and it is sin to commit adultery spiritually.