Sermon – “You Shall Not (Part 1)”

And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “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; 5 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, 6 but showing mercy to thou-sands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 “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. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 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 cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

10 ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. 11 The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them. 13 If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea: “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry And children of harlotry, For the land has committed great [a]harlotry By departing from the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the Lord said to him: “Call his name Jezreel, For in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, And bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 It shall come to pass in that day That I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

3 Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover[a] and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.” 2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and one and one-half homers of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man—so, too, will I be toward you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.

27 “You have heard that it was said [i]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 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. 29 If your right eye causes you to [j]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. 30 And if your right hand causes you to [k]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.

7 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. 2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.

28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

The smore ning we’re going to be continuing in the Ten Commandments This is the next to the last one I’m going to cover two commandments today and then we’ll have two next week so I titled this one you shall not part one because next week will be you shall not part two and you know as I was preparing this and thinking about it and a lot of people don’t like to hear you shall not do this or don’t do that or don’t do this they don’t like to be told not to do something but out thinking about this is a crazy example come into my head let’s just say for example I had this mansion here on earth I don’t but I had this mansion and all this nice stuff and I surrounded it with a big high fence and now electrified up fence with ha which Well if you were happened to wander by my property when it touched the fence you would be happy if I had a sound there said You shall not touch this fence or you’re going to get electrified right you’d be a person of add if I didn’t have a sign near you would ever touch up Bence you would be very upset so God in His Grace has given us the commandments to say you shall not. Do this you shall not do that because he don’t want us to touch a fence die he wants us to live a life that is pleasing on to him that is morally right that we can enter into that mansion that he has prepared for us amen OK So we’ll get to our scripture reading Exodus Chapter twenty I’m not going to go through the whole thing again this morning that’s fourteen through seventeen because I’ve added in an additional scripture Exodus twenty fourteen to seventeen 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 house you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife nor his male servant nor his female servant nor his ox nor his donkey nor any thing that is your neighbor’s then all. Also in the video it is Chapter twenty verses ten through thirteen. The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife the adulterer and the adulterous shall surely be put to death the man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness both of them sell surely be put to death their blood shall be upon them if a man lies with his daughter in law both of them shall surely be put to death they have committed perversion their blood shall be upon them if a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman both of them have committed an abomination they shall surely be put to death their blood shall be upon them so if a man lies with another man as he lives with a woman they shall surely be put to death and you know Hebrews thirteen it says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever more we know that Jesus the son was with the father in the beginning he has part needs Commandments so he says we shall not do this thing it’s an abomination to God So we have to love them enough to tell they can be forgiven whether it’s the adult or whether it’s the homosexuals we need to love them enough to tell them you need to turn from this so that you can enter into the kingdom of God. So at this the statistics vary but on the subject of adultery it is widely reported that approximately sixty percent of men and forty percent of women will participate in an extramarital affair at some point in their married life that is a very sad statistic it’s an alarming statistic. But you know as I was repairing at that scripture from Leviticus I thought wow I wonder if those numbers would be much much much lower if the penalties prescribed in the biggest were still in play today would they go out and have an affair they thought they could be stoned to death. Many’s probably still would but I bet it would turn some of them from it adultery is one of the worst things that can happen in a marriage. You think of the foundation principles of marriage foundations that it’s built upon you know as we counsel with young couples that are contemplating getting marriage we emphasize so many of these points trust number one faithfulness commitment hope for a future together communication integrity faithfulness kindness and of course low all these things that marriage is built upon. Adultery will destroy all these principles. Because when there is infidelity in a marriage the innocent spouse is often so emotionally scarred that they may they may never be able to trust their partner again. Sometimes they may take years but they may never be able to trust that partner again I believe in some ways adultery could even be more damaging to our marriage then a death of a spouse. I believe it can be I mean because the death you know you know you’re going to grieve but along with adultery comes the shame. You have that death blow to the foundational principles of the marriage but also the shame that may come along with it same for the the spouse. Oftentimes the the the one that is have an affair will make the other one feel like they aren’t meeting their needs they aren’t doing what they should do they try to convince them to you’re not pretty enough you’re not skinny enough or you’re whatever they get attacked their character often times so they feel that you know they weren’t good enough they feel it’s their fault that their spouse went out and cheated so emotionally they are scarred they are they are damaged and that even the children of children are involved they have the shame that one of their parents was unfaithful. You know this morning we were talking a lot about self induced selfishness downstairs and Sabbath school. Well Daltry is one of the greatest forms of selfishness there is because the person that goes out and has an affair is only thinking of themselves they are only thinking of their needs the passion that burns within them I know there’s an old testament example of an extremely faithful man of a God who married a harlot. And the book of his a. In his faithfulness to God he was willing to endure the embarrassment the shame that he knew was going to come by marrying a woman that he knew was going to be unfaithful but he was willing to obey God and do a God told him to do and Hosea Chapter one Verse one through five the word of the Lord came to is the son of bara in the days of you CYA Joe thumb A has and Hezekiah kings of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joe wash king of Israel when the Lord began to speak to her the Lord said to his a go take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord now it’s not the land itself that departed from the Lord it’s the people with the Nation of Israel the land can’t move anywhere right so the people of Israel committed a great heart a tree by the parting from the Lord so he went and took Gomer the daughter of the blam and she conceived and bore him a son then the Lord said to him call his name Jess real for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of jazz rail on the House of J U and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel is so come to pass and that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of jazz real. You know this is probably one of the strangest love stories you’ll find in the in the Bible. New God how to divine purpose for. Telling Hosea to go and marry a harlot. Because this was going to be a real life living example before the nation of Israel of what they had done to God. They were going to see this faithful man of God marry this woman that would be faithful for a while only for a time but only to go out and find another man and even bear children by another man so God say and you see this children of Israel this is what you have done to me Hosea Gomer the wife Gomer she had just married a man that would have been faithful to her to the end of their days he would have never cheated on her he would have provided for her he would have taken care of her he would have comforted her he would have showed her the affection that she needed but yet after a while she longed for another. That grass look greener on the other side she longed to be in the arms of another man. Well Israel had been the same way with God They long for the false gods of their neighbors they turned her back on the one true God the one who would have been faithful to them the one who would have provided for them comfort them protected them but they turned their back on the one true God the faithful God they were unsatisfied again there was that selfishness. But God was willing to forgive them God in His mercy He demonstrated this again through this marriage and Hosea three verses one through five then the Lord said to me go again love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery just like the love of the Lord that the Lord has for the children of Israel who took two other gods and love the raising cakes of the pagans so I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and one and a half Homer’s of barley and I said to her You shall stay with me many days you shall not play the harlot nor shall you have a man so too will I be towards you for the children of Israel shall abide many days without King or Prince without sacrifice or sacred pillar without that pot or tariff him afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king they shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days. Yes So God was willing to forgive them God in His mercy and he demonstrated that also through Hosea he was willing to go in forgive his wife take her back brought her back redeemed her. And that’s what God did with Israel and that’s what God did with us redeemed us from our sins talking again about those statistics for adultery and how much lower they would be of Leviticus laws were still in play today. But the truth is even though that we do not have those civil laws you know in this country today we have no fault divorce you can go for the judge and just get a divorce for whatever reason so we don’t have those penalties you know if you’re not going to be stoned to death or sent to prison if you commit adultery but in truth even though we don’t have those civil laws to govern adultery I truly believe the spiritual consequences that one would be plagued with is much worse much worse than the civil penalties that we would endure because the consequences of the Vorse of the one that commits adultery your relationship with God is broken just as a nation of Israel the relationship was broken for God They were separated with from God one commits adultery is broken they are separated from God A person cannot be walking in practicing that and be one with God It cannot happen so there’s that spiritual break the relationship with your spouse is destroyed yes he or she may someday forgive you they may but there’s a very good chance they won’t it is destroyed so they may divorce you broken again you would lose the trust of your children if there were children involved your children could possibly never speak to you again I’ve seen cases like that where it’s so fractured the family that the children would not even speak to the unfaithful spouse Satan would be thrilled at your failure believe me Satan would be thrilled if you were out there and cheat and have an affair and turn from your family. He would be dancing a victory dance. If you were a Christian. You would lose the trust of your church family and don’t think Why don’t happen Well yes it does. If you would lose the trust of that church family. And again if you were a Christian and had an affair cheated those outside the church. Are going to judge a church by your actions they’re going to think all the church is a bunch of hypocrites you see the spiritual damage it does. Disease could result from your own faithfulness So yes you could literally die from it from a disease. But you would have to live with that guilt for the rest of your life. Reports so that many people later on in life have shared their regret for not sticking with the spouse of their youth the first marriage for not working things out for not being happy with whom they had because often times no guys this is just my theory. Let’s say. Well let’s just say off a single man if I could find a woman that was married to would cheat with me I’m thinkin There’s ma caught would she cheat on that husband she cheat on me a right that’s just the way I look at it who in a right mind would think that well they’re only going to cheat on their spouse just so they could be with me wrong if they cheat once they do it twice they do it twice they do it three times right that’s just my thinking. Listen to what Jesus says I’m a New Testament about adultery. Matthew five twenty seven three thirty 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 in his heart. If your right eye causes you to send pluck it out and cast it from you for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than that excuse me then your whole body be cast into hell and if your right hand causes you to send cut it off and cast it from you for is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell you know many years ago. Karen used to get these magazines that had swimsuits in them for women and let me tell you they were scantily clad women and c leave them laying around the kitchen cabinets in your room to counter and it’s like I’m a God you know just found I had say Honey would you stop getting these magazines or at least put them away and she did she did it’s like I don’t need that temptation to be drawn to that thing to look at it because I don’t want to lust for any other so don’t be tempted up run from it that’s my advice for the man err the woman run from that temptation be the coward and run from it and be faithful to your spouse. I’m serious run from it. I’ve found a little straight in called The Kiss to adultery and adultery to tragedy probably no story better illustrates how the sweet stolen water of adultery turns invariably sour then the story of Camelot in this epic tale the relationship of King author and queen. When a veer element thank you thank you when a veer is stressed passed upon when author is most renowned and trusted night Lancelot I know that one generally slipped his toes across the marital boundary it started with a look an innocent look without premeditation or evil intent but it was a short slippery step from a look to lust from infatuation to infidelity the look at Venture led to a touch touch some time later to a kiss and a kiss to adultery and adultery to tragedy. And often times that’s how it begins just like that little stray ssion it begins with maybe a flirtation swerd then maybe a touch then maybe a kiss just like that that’s often the way it goes my friends don’t put yourself in that place don’t put yourself in that situation flee from it turn from it keep reminding yourself I’m a married man from a married woman don’t let the temptation get in here because this is where it begins right in here travels from here down here the next thing you know you’re convinced you’re not happy with that spouse you have a home and the grass looks greener on the other side don’t be tempted by it. Most of those that commit adultery if they would just look at the statistics of how successful second marriages are they would see that it’s not true that not going to be happier because most of the time it too will fail and it will fail they wouldn’t you know that marriage would be destroyed to the Apostle Paul gives this advice advice to couples first Corinthian seven versus one through six. Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me it is good for a man not to touch a woman nevertheless because of sexual immorality that each man have his own wife not somebody else’s that each man have his own wife no sharing and that each be selfish their right let each woman have her own husband not somebody else’s again let the husband render to his wife the affection due her and likewise also the wife to or husband the wife does not have authority over her own body but the husband does and likewise the husband that does not have authority over his own body but the wife does do not deprive one another except with consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control but I say this as a concession not as a commandment so it is good advice awesome advice give that affection that affection that is due to your wife that is the action that is due to your husband just think of that one that is having an affair if they would have only given that affection to their given the other person to their spouse. They would have a happy home right. Make sure we give that affection that is do the kind words the touch the soft touch the hug be gentle be Con be affectionate toward one another is what the word says. Let’s move on to the second you shall not you shall not steal if Asians for twenty eight says Let him who stole steal no longer but rather let him labor working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need. Let him work for it don’t let him steal what is not the first. You know you think of that when we were even kind of talking about that earlier. Let him work forward so that they will be able to provide for themselves and then even have more to help take care of others you know many of us have probably been the victim of thievery some point in our lives I’m not sure but most probably have Brahma’s shared a story with me this morning that just recently happened it’s cool. And you know it’s not a pleasant experience to have something stolen from you that you work for with your own hands to be able to buy and provide for yourself or your family you know it sometimes is very upsetting to make you very angry I had an experience as a very young boy I don’t remember if I was six or seven years old I was living down in Baltimore mom I’m sure is going to remember I hope you remember this you might remember but you know we lived in a row houses down there and I was good friends with a young boy my age just a few houses down and we were out playing one day and he had a bike and I did not have a bike Well he was so kind to let me take a ride on his bicycle so I went down the street and around the corner well round a corner now at six or seven I was a runt I was a little guy when very big I didn’t start growing does twelve well I grew some but not very much then how. I went around that corner where there was a much bigger guy and he decided he wanted that bike that I was on so he flipped me off the bike and away went with the bike Well I was one scared little six or seven year old whichever it was and I went home and I was hiding because I thought man I’m in big trouble you know it wasn’t the fault of my own but you know how a six or seven year olds thing. In big trouble so that affected me see I still remember right then there was another experience I was grown I was in both as a matter of fact I was we was I was already past. And I’m a hundred so I had a tree stand on nice tree stand that has the the metal ladder to gets up to the top and had a big wide thing a nice padded C. camouflage on and everything so there was a piece of property that we leased and I had this tree stand on and I even had it chained to the tree with a big chain and a big lock so one season ended and I didn’t get right out there to get the tree stand down it was probably January before I got out there to take the stand and well guess what Stan go on yes the stand is gone they were kind enough to leave me the chain in the lock. It was hanging on a branch there by the tree but I was an. Gree and in your anger sometimes things go through your mind and you shouldn’t think about I mean you know I think and all to go out there and traipse around that property on the next season and try to find my tree stand and point a gun and say you’re a much they embody get out of there or you know thought you know maybe I should’ve went out or put razor blades on the ladder out of you don’t cut your fingers and I got to go up and you know just all those crazy things that fall is like I’m sorry Lord. I need to forgive them I was angry because instead of going out there and working with their own hands to go and buy their own they decided to steal mine but that’s what it does it hurt someone affects somebody else. That’s what stealing is when you take something that you did not purchase that you did not buy to do did not work for I was angry but yes I was able to forgive whoever it was I didn’t go hunt track him down I didn’t even turn into the police because what good would that do you know that those things don’t have serial numbers and all that stuff. But God told me a lesson and I must even forgive them we must forgive those that do us harm love an enemy. I found another little cute little strace and. There was a young woman named Lisa. Z. had a young four old four year old boy named Timothy and they went to play miniature golf one evening as a entered into the house she realized that her young son Timothy had stuffed one of the golf balls into these pockets so she’s going to use this example to teach young Timothy a lesson so on the way back to the miniature golf course she’s lecturing him telling him he’s always saying that we do not steal it is wrong to take something from someone else it’s wrong to take something that we have not paid for you are not to steal Well she found out the very next day how well young Timothy was listening because the very next day they entered into a very busy clothing store and as they walked through the door John Timothy said we’re not going to spill anything today we’re going to pay we’re everything we take. Such a young Timothy was listening. It is it is wrong to steal. In Luke Chapter nineteen. Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho now behold there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and he was rich and he sought to see who Jesus was but could not because of the crowd for he was a short stature so he climbed so you ran ahead climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him for he was going to pass that way and when Jesus came to the place he looked up and saw him and said to him Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house so he made haste and came down and received him joyfully but when they saw it they all complained saying he is going to be with a guest with a man who is a sinner those people in Jesus’ day looked at tax collectors as the US because the way that worked in that day the rulers would tell the Cox collectors we need this much money from this area you get that much for us anything above is yours so they would fraudulent charged charge the people exorbitant taxes so that they would have extra for themselves a lot extra for themselves as a key a stood and said to the Lord look Lord I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation store for fall and Jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house because he also is a son of Abraham for the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost. You know sometimes people may steal little things think well it’s OK Whether it is large or small it is not OK. You know whether we steal ten dollars from the store or a hundred thousand dollars from the store it is wrong it is stealing if you did not work for it if you did not purchase it then it stealing it is wrong you know. It work a lot of people in the past I don’t think it’s much of a problem anymore because there’s cameras everywhere but in the past people would think that you could take. These tiles we called white balls rags. Whatever we have there is both bands and fitting Ben’s pipe all kinds of stuff people would just think well that’s a fringe benefit of work no it’s not if you did not pay for it if you did not purchase it then it is stealing. It is stealing We are not to steal but the good news is we can be forgiven. You know some people will cheat the I.R.S. and they will that’s OK No that’s stealing too. And might think well you know I’ve never cheated the I.R.S. Well you know there’s years past my wife and I were the years have been through many many vehicles we’ve probably had forty to fifty vehicles in our forty years of marriage I used to have an over the car dealer right but you know in years past say you go buy a car from a individual Well I know that I have in the past say maybe the price of the vehicle is five thousand dollars let’s put three down or so I want to pay so much taxes. Guess what that ceiling to. I don’t do that any longer thankfully because the Holy Spirit convicted me of that. Whatever the price is what the price goes down on the paperwork because that stealing if we don’t be honest. We have to be honest truthful morally right with God shall not steal whether it’s large or small but the good news is whether it’s stealing whether to daughter and the others that he came to seek and save the loss he came to bring forgiveness just as God in his demonstration was Hosea and Gomer he is willing to forgive but we must turn from it let him who stole Still no longer let him who committed adultery commit adultery no longer he is willing to forgive us if we are willing to repent of our sins layer lies before him and ask him to be the Lord of our lives he will help us overcome the temptations whatever that temptation may be whether it’s the last of a woman whether it’s the loss of that material thing that you would thinking about taken he can help us overcome it. He will fill us with love he will fill us with his affection and I can overflow a lot of us he will fill us with his kindness and that would reflect a lot of us he will fill us with his truthfulness and that will flow a lot of us. That lust for whatever will be gone when we surrender and give our hearts to Him trust in him amen.