The Sixth Commandment – Feel the Spirit of Christian
Living at Epiphany on July 22, 2007
Grace, mercy, and peace are yours through God our Father
who promises to show love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep
his commandments. Amen.
Exodus
The Right to Desire or
The Right Desires?
A true story: One Sunday
after preaching on the sixth commandment a young man from the congregation came
to the pastor's office. The young man immediately began to criticize the pastor
for preaching on the sixth commandment and condemning pre-marital sex. "It doesn’t
apply to us anymore", the young man explained, "as long as two people love each
other it's not a sin. Get with it pastor. The Bible is old and out of date." Seeing
that he had obviously touched a weak point in this young man's life the pastor tried
to calmly explain how God's Word does not change and is good for all people of all
time. He also explained how God is protecting us in his sixth commandment. But the
young man wouldn’t hear any of it. Again and again he went back to his point of
how the Bible was old and out of date and "no longer applied to the people of today."
Such a defiant attitude
toward God's Word angered the pastor, and it eventually became so heated that they
were actually standing and shouting at each other from across the pastor’s desk.
Finally the pastor had enough. Being an avid sportsmen, in the top drawer of his
desk there was a starter’s pistol – not a real gun, but it looked like one and would
serve his purpose. Enraged, the pastor ripped open the drawer, took the gun, and
grabbing the young man, he pointed the gun to his head and said, "I guess that means
that the fifth commandment doesn’t apply to us anymore either!"
The young man got the point,
and from that time on he faithfully attended Bible class and worship because he
wanted to study God's Word. He now understood how all of God's Word applies to all
people.
The sixth commandment is
one of God’s laws. “You shall not commit adultery.” God’s laws are important. His
laws are not optional. His laws are for everybody. And he gives us his laws for
our satisfaction, safety, and protection. Today as we consider the sixth commandment
ask: Is it about having the right to desire or having the right desires?
There are those who claim
the “right to desire” whatever they want. So some say, “Just live together before
you get married. Try each other out. Make sure you are compatible.” People may live
together to avoid divorce later on, but the reverse is actually true. Statistics
say that non-married, cohabitating couples have an 80% chance that their relationship
will end with break-up or divorce. This is because there never was a firm commitment
– a commitment to each other nor to God. Is it any wonder that marriage doesn’t
work when we try to circumvent God’s laws and do it our own way, thinking we know
better?
People want the “right
to desire” whatever they want; to take what they want. That’s what this commandment
is all about – taking what doesn’t belong to you. In the sixth commandment, God
protects the sanctity of marriage, so he is also protecting our virginity, our unity
with a spouse or future spouse, as well as our faith and our soul.
Those who believe in their
right to fulfill their desires with lusts, pornography, premarital sex, or extra-marital
sex would say, “Hold on, if we both enjoy each other, what’s wrong with it? We’re
not hurting anyone?” But it does hurt. It hurts the person; the person’s connection
with God; and it hurts the person’s relationship with a current, or if single, a
future spouse. That’s a proven fact.
Look at it this way: how
would you feel if someone gave you a mint 1967 GTO convertible, and people walking
by keyed it, cars parked next to it purposely slammed their doors into it, and pedestrians
would hop on it and dent it? How would you feel? It would tick you off. Now, you
know how God feels. Marriage and his gift of sex are his gifts to the human race.
In the sixth commandment, God is safeguarding that gift by reminding us there’s
no such thing as safe sex – only sacred sex – sex between a man and a woman in the
confines of marriage.
Even if our body becomes
scratched, dinged, or dented because of sex, still we have a good and gracious God.
Just as any car can be repaired, restored, and renovated, so God, the Master Craftsman,
can repair and restore the body and soul and make it whole again. God can emotionally
and spiritually heal. God loves, forgives, and heals all those who come to him weak
and burdened, broken and hurting.
Perhaps there is no clearer
passage in Scripture on sexual desires and marriage than Hebrews 13:4: "Marriage
is to be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the
adulterer and all the sexual immoral.” God gets ticked off when his sacred gift
is downgraded, disgraced, and discarded by you, me, or anyone. God’s not going to
put up with it: not only with unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases,
and guilt, but eternal consequences of separation from him. Society may give the
go-ahead, federal courts may allow it, some churches may ignore it, and family and
friends may put up with it, but none of that changes God’s command – marriage should
be honored by all.
I look at my four little
girls and know they will grow to be beautiful young women. That makes me afraid
–because the young men will be coming around. But I will work to put the fear of
God into those young men. You may laugh, the guys will cringe, and my girls will
be embarrassed. I will lay it on the line with my girls and these young men about
what is right and proper and what is forbidden. I have seen firsthand the damage
caused by premarital sex, living together, divorce, or affairs. Families are torn
apart, faith can be lost, souls are wounded. There is either shame, guilt and disgrace
or the adamant refusal to admit sin and guilt. Both are damaging and damning.
There are only two situations
in which people feel no shame. The first is the state of a connection with God through
the forgiveness of Jesus. The second is the state of illusion. You feel no shame
if you’re connected with God and you feel no shame if you’re living a lie. The first
is beautiful and whole. The second is tragic and it not only kills faith, it can
also kill the soul and the body in hell. Is it worth it? No thrill in the bedroom,
real or imagined, can compare with the thrill of being at peace with God.
This is why God speaks
so strongly on this subject throughout Scripture. God commanded, “You shall not
commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) Jesus instructed, “Anyone who looks with lust has
already committed adultery in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28) Paul reminded, “The sexually
immoral will not inherit the
Right desires keep us aware
of who we are. God says, “You were bought at a price.” We are God’s blood-bought
children. We belong to him. This picture might help. This winter, when it’s below
freezing, go outside and stick your tongue on a metal pipe, till it freezes. Then
just walk away. Ugh! Some people say, “I’ll fuse myself to this man or woman, then
I’ll just walk away.” But you can’t – not without leaving a part of yourself frozen
on the bedpost. We belong to Jesus. We want to leave ourselves with him, not parts
of ourselves with other people.
When we examine ourselves
in the light of God’s perfect standard, we fall down with Paul and say, “I know
that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” Hearts wander. Eyes
wander. Flesh wants and wanders. That’s where God’s grace comes in. The Bible assures
us, “Where sin increased, God’s grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20) Again,
"the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7) Jesus
obeyed the sixth commandment for us. On the cross, God judged and condemned Jesus
as an adulterer – but not for his adulterous thoughts and action, rather for yours
and mine. By his ugly death on the cross all sin has been removed and we have a
beautiful life with him, guilt free and shame free.
Right desires keep us committed
to our current, or if single – future, spouse. To a culture dedicated to “doing
your own thing” God says, “Live by the Spirit and you won’t gratify the desires
of the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:16) Our theme for this commandment series is
“Feel the Spirit of Christian living.” It means to be more concerned about God’s
happiness than your own. It means we have been buried with Christ in baptism and
raised to a new life. It means to stand at the foot of the cross and watch Jesus
die for our sins of adultery and then thank him by desiring what it right. It means
we really mean it when we pray, “thy will be done.”
It means a “just say no”
strategy for sexual temptation isn’t enough. It means God wants us to say “yes”
to what he wants. God wants us to have strong sexual desires, but he also created
a union for those desires to be properly fulfilled – marriage. That is life by the
Spirit. Desire for your spouse is the right desire. That’s what God wants. That’s
what God blesses. Marriage is a great blessing in which God provides companionship,
sexual happiness, and children. The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to
be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." God saw that he could give a taste
of heaven with the relationship of a husband and a wife. Together they would halve
all their problems and double all their joys.
Some of you are single
and have managed to stay sexually pure. That’s no small thing. You haven’t left
parts of yourself spread all over the sexual horizon. God has a word for you: Celebrate!
You have not given yourself over to sin and shame. God has made your body the temple
of the Holy Spirit. Don’t desecrate your temple for a few hours of shameless passion.
Some of you have gone the
“I have a right to do what I want to” route. God has two words for you. The first
is stop. Stop taking what doesn’t belong to you. You’re hurting yourself,
your connection with God and with your future spouse. If your boyfriend or girlfriend
doesn’t understand, just tell him/her, “It’s not worth having my soul torn apart.
So I’m going to stop.” If he/she still doesn’t get it, say, “It’s like this. Get
your tongue wet and go outside and stick it on a car’s bumper till it freezes. Then
come back in and we’ll talk about it!” (That only works in the winter, though).
The second word for you
is repent. You were to be united to your marriage partner, but you have given
parts of yourself to others. Repent of your sins and God can put you all back together
again. Pray with King David who eventually repented of his adultery with Bathsheba,
“God, wash away my iniquity and cleanse me …Create in me a pure heart … and renew
me.” (Psalm 51:10) We pray, “Lord, make me new. Help me live like a new person.
You have graciously made me a servant of Christ, a blood-bought soul, the property
of Christ. That is who I am. Help me live up to what you’ve made me.”
For all of you, “Flee from
sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who
sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit … You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore
honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) Just like we wouldn’t want a
Marilyn Manson concert at Epiphany’s altar, we keep our bodies clean by listening,
reading, and watching things that are good, noble, and pure.
Also, take steps to avoid
tempting situations. "Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation. The
spirit is willing, but the body is weak." (Mark
Even when no one else is
around, and no one else may know, Christians live differently as baptized believers.
Picture Jesus right with you. And if you can’t take Jesus on a date, just don’t
go. If you can’t take him to a movie or party, skip that one. He says this, not
to take fun away from us, but to protect us.
We don’t need a gun pointed
at our head to realize the importance of the sixth commandment. Still, we know we
have failed and broken this commandment time and time again. Here is your comfort
and consolation. Just as Jesus forgave the woman who was caught in adultery, so
he has and will forgive you of your adulterous sins. This forgiveness doesn’t give
you a license to sin. Rather, we listen to Jesus’ words, “Go and sin no more.” You
were bought at a price. Live with right desires for him. Amen.