Passage

Ezekiel 47: 1-5
"... When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded."

[Exodus 20: 14]
"You shall not commit adultery."


Introduction

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Suppose you have received many tickets for violations of traffic rules.
You think you never violated any traffic laws, but the tickets describe in detail what you did at certain places.
Now, you remember what you did and you realize that there were speed limits and other rules at certain places.
We might face a similar situation in spirit, too.
If you suddenly get a disease or become involved in an accident, you may wonder and think, "Why are these things happening to me?"
You will try to check whether you violated the word of God.
If you have the knowledge of the word of God, you can soon realize the mistake that you made and where you went wrong.
For example, Deuteronomy 28:15 says, "But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you."
Proverbs 19:23 also says, "The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil."
If you understand the justice of God in these commands, you can soon realize that you did not keep certain commandments and you disobeyed certain words of God. Then you can turn from those ways.
But if you do not have the knowledge of the word, you cannot realize or understand the reason why you face troubles.
You suffer from the same kind of tests and trials all the time without knowing the reason.
In some cases a person might not even receive salvation.
John 8:32 says, "And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
If you live by the truth, which is the word of God, you will not live a difficult life but have security and freedom.
It's because you can be set free from all kinds of tests and trials.
Furthermore, you can live in the eternal heavenly kingdom enjoying complete freedom.
When I talk about the Word of God, the truth, and especially about the sins depriving of salvation, I hope you will keep it in your mind.
I pray in the name of the Lord that, you will not just know the truth but cultivate it in your hearts completely, so that you will walk the paved way of peace until you reach heavenly kingdom.


Main

Brothers and sisters,
This is the eighth session on 'God Measures Our Faith'.
Up until the last session, we talked about some of the sins depriving of salvation, which the Bible warns us about.
We looked into four sins. They are: idolatry, violation of Sabbath, not giving proper tithes, and standing against men of God.
The fifth sin depriving of salvation is various fornications and adulteries.
Sexual immorality is something we have to be very careful about since we are living in a world that is so corrupted sexually.
How promiscuous is today's world as the Lord's coming draws near?
As a result of the sins accumulated for thousands of years, we are experiencing a generation that is filled with sins at an unprecedented level.
Even believers in God become corrupted sexually. Many of them lose their faith and lives as they go the way of death.
Since you are living in this kind of world, you must not only keep yourself secured with the truth but you must also root out the sin natures of the heart.
Brothers and sisters,
Leviticus from 18:6 onward, God prohibits various adulteries, and verse 29 says, "For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people."
Namely, the Bible clearly tells us that adultery is a sin depriving of salvation.
This will of God does not change even in the New Testament.
Galatians 5:19-21 lists the evident works of the flesh which may lead to not being saved.
The first ones of the list are immorality, impurity, sensuality, which are the works of the flesh with regard to sex.
And then it says, "...of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
The Bible warns us of these things in many places.
The Bible talks about the works of the flesh related to sexual corruption with different words, including 'adultery' and 'fornication'.
So, let us learn about the different terms so that you have specific knowledge about various forms of adultery and be on the alert concerning them.
Let me first talk about 'adultery', which is the most common.
Exodus 20:14 says, "You shall not commit adultery."
This is the seventh commandment of the Ten Commandments.
Leviticus 20:10 says, "If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."
It clearly tells us that sexual misconduct is an unacceptable sin, which deprives of salvation.
'Adultery' is an act of a man or a woman who is married, but not married to each other, having a sexual relationship.
Now, how is adultery different from sexual misconduct?
At times sexual misconduct refers to adultery, but many times sexual misconduct includes various obscene things in general.
Also, adultery refers to both the act of committing adultery and having thoughts of adultery, but sexual misconduct is only about the acts of committing sins.
I said adultery is a sin for a man and a woman who are married, but not married to each other, being in a sexual relationship.
Sexual misconduct can be generally categorized into two kinds.
One is that a married person is unfaithful and has an illicit relationship with somebody else.
The other case is when unmarried people have sexual relationships.
Such physical relationships between men and women are allowed only for married couples.
Other than that, all are unlawful.
They are sins that violate the Law of God.
But what is the situation today?
Those who are married have sex with other peoples' wives or husbands, unmarried people with other people's spouses, and unmarried people with other unmarried people....
Such an evil act is so widespread as if it were a trend of the world.
What is more serious is that they do not even have the pangs of conscience committing those sins.
But this certainly is a grave sin that deprives of salvation.
In this session, let me first talk about married people doing unlawful things.
Deuteronomy 22:22 says, "If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel."
Proverbs 6:32 says, "The one who commits adultery with a woman (namely a married woman) is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it."
Proverbs 6:29 says, "So is the one who goes in to his neighbor's wife; whoever touches her will not go unpunished."
This sin of adultery itself is such a great sin before God, and many other sins accompany it, too.
Because of unfaithfulness of their spouses, the married couples get divorced or live as though they were enemies.
Because of their parents' problems, their children are not raised with comfort, and they go astray.
Some of them are raised by their grandparents or other relatives, and some are even given away to institutions.
How heartbreaking it is!
In the news, some people even kill their spouses because one spouse doubts or finds out about the other's unfaithfulness.
How can we say they are human beings who are created in the image of God?
Though it is not to such a heinous extent, some of you have committed different acts of adultery in the past and repented of them.
The sins you had committed before you met the Lord were forgiven when you accepted the Lord.
But some of you might have committed such sins after accepting the Lord, for you did not understand the truth very well or you could not control your lust having weak faith.
But if you repent thoroughly before God, He shows you mercy and forgives you.
Also, many of you committed sins that could not be forgiven at all, but you were forgiven by the special grace, by the love going beyond justice.
In principle, if you commit sins knowing the truth well and having experienced the living God, you cannot be forgiven. But God has cleansed you as white as snow.
Those who truly repented and have been cleansed of your sins would have regretted so very much thinking about why you had committed such sins.
You now love only your wife or husband with true hearts.
But if you still look at other people other than your spouse with lustful eyes and yet you do not fast and pray to cast away such a heart, what would God say about it?
Would He say you truly repented?
Matthew 5:28 says, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
In the Old Testament era, sin was not an offense unless it was committed in action.
Namely, they didn't say you committed adultery if you just had adulterous thoughts.
But in the New Testament era, the sin of adultery is committed if you just have adulterous thoughts in heart.
Of course, this is not a work of the flesh, a sin in action, so punishment doesn't come immediately.
But if you keep on committing adultery in thoughts and do not cast away your lust, it can develop into action.
Also, if you have faith and do not cast away the adulterous mind, it is also something you should be embarrassed about before God.
You must hate the fact so much that you have such a sin nature in you.
Therefore, I hope you will remove all the sinful natures that remain in your heart.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Especially those who are married, Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge."
I hope you will keep this verse in mind and obey it completely.
I urge in the name of the Lord for you to set an example of a true Christian.
Dear brothers and sisters, sometimes you might commit sins because you do not know the word of God very well.
It is about divorce and getting married again.
The leaders in particular should understand this clearly and be able to counsel the church members properly.