Sermon Follow-Up
Hey there North Anderson family! In this sermon follow up from this past Sunday’s message on the 7th Commandment, “Do not commit adultery”, we’ll take a moment to learn a few more things about how we can apply what we learned from our time together in Exodus 20:14.
Let me begin by sharing how grateful I am for all of the encouraging remarks and thoughtful questions regarding the sermon. Adultery, its implications, and its consequences are heavy subjects that we must approach with grave earnestness. You, as people who desire to bring God glory through walking in purity, have done so. I’m really thankful for that.
If you missed the message, you can watch the service here - https://www.northandersonbaptist.com/media/6qddm4x/do-not-commit-adultery
As is the case with each sermon, there’s always more that can be said than there is time to say. Allow me to briefly share a few ways that we might guard our hearts concerning this particular issue.
We Must Purposely Avoid Situations That May Tempt Us To Sin.
Each believer must know their own limits and each of us is different.
The fact is, what produces lust in my life may bore you and what makes you think impure thoughts may put me to sleep. That’s why it’s hard to draw absolute lines in the sand here.
But make no mistake, we all have lines, and those lines must not be crossed.
This might mean there are some TV shows that you just can’t watch, books that you just can’t read, styles of music that you just can’t listen to, places that you just can’t go, or even individuals that you just can’t be around.
If you think that I’m being too rigid here, let me remind you of one of the passages that I shared with you on Sunday. In regard to adultery and lust, our Lord Jesus said, “if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire” – Matthew 18:9
Jesus was speaking with hyperbole here to communicate the seriousness of the matter. This is a big, big deal.
If my external and internal purity is a big deal to Jesus, it should be a big deal to me.
Because of this, I must guard my heart.
This could mean that there are some smiles I simply must not return or some occasions when I must choose to appear unfriendly—not because I dislike a person but because I know I am beginning to cross the line.
It could mean that there are some parties that I should not attend, some dates that I should not accept, and some invitations that I should decline.
We Must Determine Not To Provoke Lust in Others
We Christians sometimes act as if freedom in Christ means we no longer need to worry about how other people think or feel but that’s not the heart of a mature follower of Jesus.
Galatians 5:13 says “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
In other words, the freedom we now have in Christ does not mean that we are free to do as we please according to our flesh. It means we are free from sin. That means that we must use our freedom in Him to serve our brother in Christ rather than hinder him.
The fact is, we are a visually oriented society and the way we present ourselves, either through our apparel or our attitude matters.
To put it bluntly, there are some sisters who don’t help their brothers by the way they present themselves. There are also some brothers who don’t help sisters by the way that present themselves.
In regard to this subject, let me quickly address a big error that has crept into the culture and even into many of our lives and our churches
You’ve likely heard it said that we should stop telling girls what they should and shouldn’t wear and, instead, teach boys to control themselves. This could easily be an advertising campaign slogan for the modern, worldly feminist movement.
I'm sure that you have heard it said, “The church shouldn’t put the burden of purity on girls and women! It should just teach men to control themselves!”
Listen carefully: We cannot view this matter as “either-or” but as “both-and”
Girls and women should present themselves modestly AND boys and men should practice self-control.
A man who lusts after a woman is responsible for his thoughts and the judgment that comes as a consequence to his sin and at the same time, a woman who dresses in such a manner that it makes it difficult for a man to hold his thoughts captive will be held accountable if her appearance leads him into temptation and sin.
Both of these things are true.
We are to teach boys and men to practice self-control, and we should also be teaching girls and women to honor their bodies to the glory of the Lord and warning them not to be a stumbling block.
Men aren’t given a pass to lust after a woman because they aren’t dressed appropriately, and women aren’t given a pass to lead men into temptation by the way they dress.
As Christian men and women, we should be motivated by our love for Christ and for one another, dressing appropriately so that we bring glory to God and refrain from tempting others to sin.
The scriptures aren’t silent here.
In 1 Peter 3:3-4, we find that the way that we present ourselves should draw attention to the right things: “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
In 1 Timothy 2:9 the Bible says without apology, “women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control.”
Modestly promotes righteousness and immodesty provokes lust.
At the end of the day, immodesty has no place in the life of a Christian, young or old, male or female. It’s shameful, selfish, and sinful. Our appearance is meant to reflect Christ’s work within our hearts and to show the spirit of gentleness, humility, and self-control He has placed within us.
We should love one another enough to refrain from immodesty. Those in the family of God should care for one another’s souls enough to present ourselves modestly and be careful in our language and physical contact.
Immodesty, and yes, flirtatious and misleading behavior, creates thoughts and desires that cannot be righteously fulfilled. We sometimes refer to this is “leading someone on” or being a “tease”. The Bible calls this “defrauding” and it’s a terrible offense that we must commit ourselves not to make
We Must Recover The Ability To Blush
I’ve come to realize that one of the most wonderful and telling marks of a life that is committed to personal purity is the ability to blush.
The truth is, some of us lost that ability long ago.
We’ve not been careful and discerning about what is seen by our eyes or heard by our ears and consequently, sexual immorality has become so commonplace that nothing seems shameful, perverse, or out-of-bounds. We’ve grown comfortable with that which should make us blush and many things that were at one time relegated to the shadows of back alleys are paraded down Main Street…and unfortunately, we’ve bought front row tickets to that vile parade.
When someone has the ability to blush, it tells me that they’ve determined in their hearts that they’d pursue purity and they refuse to expose themselves to that which causes lust.
We simply must recover that, and we can do so by committing ourselves to what is said in Philippians 4:8 “Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things”
I hope you'll join us on Sunday as we continue our series through the 10 Commandments!
In Christ Alone,
Pastor DK
Let me begin by sharing how grateful I am for all of the encouraging remarks and thoughtful questions regarding the sermon. Adultery, its implications, and its consequences are heavy subjects that we must approach with grave earnestness. You, as people who desire to bring God glory through walking in purity, have done so. I’m really thankful for that.
If you missed the message, you can watch the service here - https://www.northandersonbaptist.com/media/6qddm4x/do-not-commit-adultery
As is the case with each sermon, there’s always more that can be said than there is time to say. Allow me to briefly share a few ways that we might guard our hearts concerning this particular issue.
We Must Purposely Avoid Situations That May Tempt Us To Sin.
Each believer must know their own limits and each of us is different.
The fact is, what produces lust in my life may bore you and what makes you think impure thoughts may put me to sleep. That’s why it’s hard to draw absolute lines in the sand here.
But make no mistake, we all have lines, and those lines must not be crossed.
This might mean there are some TV shows that you just can’t watch, books that you just can’t read, styles of music that you just can’t listen to, places that you just can’t go, or even individuals that you just can’t be around.
If you think that I’m being too rigid here, let me remind you of one of the passages that I shared with you on Sunday. In regard to adultery and lust, our Lord Jesus said, “if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire” – Matthew 18:9
Jesus was speaking with hyperbole here to communicate the seriousness of the matter. This is a big, big deal.
If my external and internal purity is a big deal to Jesus, it should be a big deal to me.
Because of this, I must guard my heart.
This could mean that there are some smiles I simply must not return or some occasions when I must choose to appear unfriendly—not because I dislike a person but because I know I am beginning to cross the line.
It could mean that there are some parties that I should not attend, some dates that I should not accept, and some invitations that I should decline.
We Must Determine Not To Provoke Lust in Others
We Christians sometimes act as if freedom in Christ means we no longer need to worry about how other people think or feel but that’s not the heart of a mature follower of Jesus.
Galatians 5:13 says “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
In other words, the freedom we now have in Christ does not mean that we are free to do as we please according to our flesh. It means we are free from sin. That means that we must use our freedom in Him to serve our brother in Christ rather than hinder him.
The fact is, we are a visually oriented society and the way we present ourselves, either through our apparel or our attitude matters.
To put it bluntly, there are some sisters who don’t help their brothers by the way they present themselves. There are also some brothers who don’t help sisters by the way that present themselves.
In regard to this subject, let me quickly address a big error that has crept into the culture and even into many of our lives and our churches
You’ve likely heard it said that we should stop telling girls what they should and shouldn’t wear and, instead, teach boys to control themselves. This could easily be an advertising campaign slogan for the modern, worldly feminist movement.
I'm sure that you have heard it said, “The church shouldn’t put the burden of purity on girls and women! It should just teach men to control themselves!”
Listen carefully: We cannot view this matter as “either-or” but as “both-and”
Girls and women should present themselves modestly AND boys and men should practice self-control.
A man who lusts after a woman is responsible for his thoughts and the judgment that comes as a consequence to his sin and at the same time, a woman who dresses in such a manner that it makes it difficult for a man to hold his thoughts captive will be held accountable if her appearance leads him into temptation and sin.
Both of these things are true.
We are to teach boys and men to practice self-control, and we should also be teaching girls and women to honor their bodies to the glory of the Lord and warning them not to be a stumbling block.
Men aren’t given a pass to lust after a woman because they aren’t dressed appropriately, and women aren’t given a pass to lead men into temptation by the way they dress.
As Christian men and women, we should be motivated by our love for Christ and for one another, dressing appropriately so that we bring glory to God and refrain from tempting others to sin.
The scriptures aren’t silent here.
In 1 Peter 3:3-4, we find that the way that we present ourselves should draw attention to the right things: “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
In 1 Timothy 2:9 the Bible says without apology, “women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control.”
Modestly promotes righteousness and immodesty provokes lust.
At the end of the day, immodesty has no place in the life of a Christian, young or old, male or female. It’s shameful, selfish, and sinful. Our appearance is meant to reflect Christ’s work within our hearts and to show the spirit of gentleness, humility, and self-control He has placed within us.
We should love one another enough to refrain from immodesty. Those in the family of God should care for one another’s souls enough to present ourselves modestly and be careful in our language and physical contact.
Immodesty, and yes, flirtatious and misleading behavior, creates thoughts and desires that cannot be righteously fulfilled. We sometimes refer to this is “leading someone on” or being a “tease”. The Bible calls this “defrauding” and it’s a terrible offense that we must commit ourselves not to make
We Must Recover The Ability To Blush
I’ve come to realize that one of the most wonderful and telling marks of a life that is committed to personal purity is the ability to blush.
The truth is, some of us lost that ability long ago.
We’ve not been careful and discerning about what is seen by our eyes or heard by our ears and consequently, sexual immorality has become so commonplace that nothing seems shameful, perverse, or out-of-bounds. We’ve grown comfortable with that which should make us blush and many things that were at one time relegated to the shadows of back alleys are paraded down Main Street…and unfortunately, we’ve bought front row tickets to that vile parade.
When someone has the ability to blush, it tells me that they’ve determined in their hearts that they’d pursue purity and they refuse to expose themselves to that which causes lust.
We simply must recover that, and we can do so by committing ourselves to what is said in Philippians 4:8 “Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things”
I hope you'll join us on Sunday as we continue our series through the 10 Commandments!
In Christ Alone,
Pastor DK
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