Intro:Sex is awesome. Rivers are awesome. Rivers are good when they stay within their banks. *Sex is good when it stays within its boundaries. *Sex outside of God’s plan is not good: it ruins lives, ruins marriages, ruins reputations, ruins children, ruins testimonies for Christ. The flood of *adultery ruins everything in its wake.
Is there an *adultery flood in the church? Do you know anyone that has taken the plunge and made a mess of their lives? It’s like hearing about folks that have cancer. Seems I hear about more of those every day. Same with *adultery. It is sad.
Do you remember the images from the flooding of Banda Aceh in 2005? The devastation and loss of lives was astounding … over 300,000 folks died in a matter of hours. What we fail to see is the number of lives that are lost in just a matter of hours with *adultery too. Study the picture above. Study the “before” picture first. Look at the buildings, the yards, and the homes. It is a city. People feel safe and enjoy life there in Banda Aceh. It is an awesome beach city bustling with children in the sun. Now study the “after” picture. Look at the devastation and loss. It is amazing.
I am arguing that this is exactly what happens to spouses and kids in the aftermath of *adultery. I am saying that this is what happens to the body of Christ and the reputation of Christ when we allow this river to overflow its banks. The *adultery flood is devastating.
Read: Deuteronomy 5:6, 16-21; Matthew 5:27-29
6 “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
16 “Honor your father and mother, as the LORD your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
17 “You must not .
18 “You must not commit *adultery.
19 “You must not steal.
20 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
21 “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.
Matthew 5:27-29
27 “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit *adultery.’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with has already committed *adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to , gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Think:
I looked up the word *adultery. It means *adultery! It means to have *sexual relations with someone that is not your spouse. There is not much room for playing with this definition. Unless you are the president of the USA (a la the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal) you do not get to redefine “sex”.
God views the covenant between a husband and wife so highly he created boundaries around it. Like a river, God placed banks around marriage and commanded the couple to keep *sex to themselves … for a lifetime. Our *culture says this is boring. God says this is required.
Why does God do this? Why the demands of fidelity? 2 Main reasons:
*The covenant between a husband and wife mirror the relationship between God and his people. Marriage pictures God’s perfect, faithful love toward his people.
*To protect and provide for his people. God gets a bad rap for being a kill joy. In truth, he knows what is best for us and commands us to trust him. By maintaining purity in our marriage bonds we protect ourselves from shame, brokenness, disease and *death. By maintaining purity in our marriages we provide the opportunity for real love and relationship.
Note to those who have not had an affair but are tempted to judge those who have: be careful! You can fall into the same sin (1 Cor. 10:12-13; Gal. 6:1). You might have already committed the same sin in your heart (Mt. 5:28)!
Do:
How are the “banks” on your marriage river? Are you guarding the covenant you have with your spouse? What are you doing to stay close to your spouse? I’ve heard of several couples that are hardly intimate any more! That is so sad. What are you doing about that? Talk it out with your spouse.
Sadly many marriages have been reduced to “married singles”. Does that describe your marriage?
Are you in an accountability relationship with someone (of the same gender)? Is there someone that you have invited to ask you tough questions? Someone you will not lie to? One thing is clear, accountability cannot help you if you do not want help! Be honest. Keep the bigger picture.
Have you allowed your river to overflow the banks? Have you crossed the line? If so, there is forgiveness from God. If you will turn from your sin, God will forgive you. You need to confess your sin to your spouse and work through the process. You cannot control the consequences. There will be pain and some devastation but you can make it through it.
Listen to the song #28, Slow Fade in the DevoLink Worship Center below.
*this blog deletes certain words. We must use the "*" to make the word stay on the screen. Sorry.
DevoLink: Devotions to help you Link with God.
