During our last visit, we shared the 6th Commandment: You Shall Not Kill (Murder).
Jesus also reminded us from 1John 3:15 that we need to reconcile with our brothers, that we not commit murder ... working on that, are we?
Welcome, come on in and share a portion of our next course: the Seventh Commandment:
However, as Jon Courson points out: "Because the Seventh Commandment is the least understood, it is the most argued."
According to the Dake's Bible: "This Commandment prohibits all unlawful sexual relationships and upholds the sacredness and divine appointment of marriage for the propagation and multiplication of the human race."
The world seems to think that sex is about procreation and recreation. Courson points out, "it is primarily about unification - about two souls being mystically and miraculously merged into one."
He points out that in Genesis 5:2, God looked at the couple and called "their" name Adam ... singularly.
"Sex outside of marriage destroys one's soul irreparably, inevitably. Every time people are involved in sexual activity outside of marriage, there will be destruction as the soul is destroyed a piece, a layer, a step at a time." (Whew!)
"That is why Jesus was so emphatic when He dealt with the subject of adultery (Matthew 5:27-30, 32). Knowing its danger, He told us to deal with it radically, brutally, severely - to do whatever it takes to keep it from our lives."
Proverbs 6:32 ~ "But whoso commit adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he that does it destroys his own soul."
Whoa, nothing to mess around with! Has satan SO deceived us ... that we cannot see?!! I think not! I think that, most often, we do see and we choose to disregard our conscience and the consequences of our actions. We treat adultery as casually as a "do not walk" sign at a traffic signal. We take the warning less seriously than a "DO NOT ENTER" sign on a freeway exit ... yet the consequences of disobedience are just as deadly!
Besides the betrayal of trust between God and Man, and man and woman ... there is this matter of sharing the disgusting "ick" that adulterers or adulteresses have exposed themselves to! There is nothing more intimate on this earth than the sanctity of marriage ... it is just plain disgusting to share that sacred intimacy with anyone else outside of the marriage and then bring back your defiled-self into your marriage bed. It is NOT macho, NOT smooth, it is NOT "hot," nor is it harmless!
Prov 29:3 ~ the adulterer "wastes his wealth." Choosing to spend one's time, energy, and resources on immoral relationships does indeed waste God's perfect provision for you and your family. The consequences always manifest poverty of finances, soul, and spirit.
Once someone has disregarded their inborn moral sensibility against sin ... repeatedly, time after time ... all the other moral senses become numb too. Like an ugly callus, indifference builds up on our souls ... too thick and hard to feel anymore. It becomes easier and easier to walk in all sorts of places that we should not. We justify, we rationalize, we defend, we excuse, we blame, we transfer the guilt to the injured party, we hide, and we go to the world for approval.
Prov 30:20 ~ "This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wickedness.”
James 4:4 ~ "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." ... Yeow... the Living Word does not pull any punches here ... adultery is a NO win situation!
WHO, in their right mind, would want to be an enemy of GOD??? He certainly gives fair warning here! 1 Cor 5:1-13 ~ We are not to even keep company with those that choose to be sexually immoral. "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"
Hos 4 ~ Whoa, read this chapter, if you have any doubt, at all, about how adultery and harlotry corrupts an entire land! Certainly our land, our United States of America, is not alone in this area of corruption. Since the beginning of history, adultery has been found in almost every Government.
When any land becomes callous and indifferent to moral sensibilities ... the result is such as the world we live in today. Our lands are becoming morally corrupt and "tolerant" of almost any aberration that any group can invent and practice. In the near future, we may actually be legally required to tolerate sin!
Our founding fathers would be horrified! Those men and women who worked so hard and sacrificed so much to establish this country firmly on Christian principles ... who chiseled Scriptures into the federal courthouses, national monuments and federal buildings ... who drafted a constitution based on the laws of God ... and who shed their blood for their faith in those laws.
For generations our Country has had favor throughout the world and has been blessed beyond measure ... but now ... the lines between right and wrong have been blurred and in many cases actually reversed. God cannot bless any country wherein blatant (even militant) disobedience of His commands has become the "rule of the land." Oh my friends, PRAY FOR YOUR COUNTRY and OURS!
Inevitably darkness hides from the light ... why does everyone seem so shocked, when their blatant and repeated sins are found out?? As much as the "intrigue" and/or fear that hiding and lying involves ... as smart and/or thorough as we think we are ... eventually our sin does find us out!
Moses warned the children of Israel in Numbers 32:23 ~ "... you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out."
1 Cor 6:9-10 warns us: "Do not be deceived." Adulterers are included in the list of the unrighteous that are excluded from God's Kingdom!
The end of this story is NOT good! There is no painting it rosy ... it is what it is! Adultery is a sin that leads to DEATH. ALWAYS. PERIOD.
I was astounded to read the following commentary:
"Today, the Centers for Disease Control report, 87 percent of all reportable disease is sexually transmitted! This means that 87 percent of all disease is preventable—by keeping the Seventh Commandment ... which includes all forms of sexual immorality. Mankind could eliminate nearly nine-tenths of all disease by changing sexual behavior to conform to the standard of God's law!
Imagine the health, joy, and peace this would cause! What a breakthrough, right? Wrong! The medical establishment worldwide—except for a few "radical" countries—utterly rejects behavioral changes in favor of the politically correct "safe sex" procedures."
*NOTE: There is definitely more food for thought here.
Ezek 16 ~ Caution: read the ENTIRE chapter. The good news is at the end. This passage has a very graphic description of God's view of spiritual adultery and also His overwhelming Love for the us.
I think that, in general, we undervalue the fact that Jesus has chosen His Church to be His Bride. That is huge, the most huge! Do we always honor Him as our Husband ... do we ever "play around" spiritually? Or do we ever show more love and attention to something or someone else? Do we ever spend more time pursuing our own interests, cheating our Husband out of His time with us?
Do we seek to please an earthly "love" rather than, or more than, our Lord and Maker? Let us encourage and exhort one another to be faithful to nourish our relationship with our Betrothed!
Beyond all understanding, in spite of all our shortcomings, the LORD our GOD loves us SO much!
Ezekiel 16:62-63 ~ "Nevertheless ... I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD.’”
His grace and His mercy abounds so towards us! Jesus' great and precious and perfect Sacrifice atoned for all of our sins ... He surrendered all, even knowing every good, bad and ugly detail about us. SO great is His love for us, that He still always provides us a way out of every sin. He forgives us, cleans us up, and draws us back into His Loving arms!
Oh BLESS THE LORD OH MY SOUL AND ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME BLESS HIS HOLY NAME! That we would know that He is our God and act accordingly!
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Oh, dear Good, Gracious and Just Father,
We love You SO much!
We desire to know You more,
love You more, please You more!
We want to do what You want us to do
and never do what You don't.
Please keep us within the bounds You have set
for our thoughts, words, and actions.
Oh Jesus, we desire to honor You and bless You
as Your Bride and never be unfaithful to You, in any way.
We want to follow You and be set apart for You
all of our days!
Never let us take it casually that You laid down Your life down for us.
Thank You for Your love and grace and mercy!
In Jesus' Precious name we pray.
Amen.
I am blessed every day
with some new revelation of God's Word.
I will be sharing my measure of manna
with some new revelation of God's Word.
I will be sharing my measure of manna
with all who come to my "tent.
Please, let me know if you have been blessed
by the way it was prepared for you this day.
~Shalom~
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Please, let me know if you have been blessed
by the way it was prepared for you this day.
~Shalom~
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