7th Commandment
“You shall not commit adultery.”
Leading Up to the Commandments
- God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt.
- God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets to guide His people toward the Promised Land.
- Obeying the commandments was a response to God’s rescue and showed their desire to live faithfully before Him.
- The Ten Commandments summarize God’s moral law: how His people should live in relationship with God and others.
- They were about living as God’s people, not earning His love.
Structure of the 10 Commandments
- The first four: Love God
- The last six: Love people
Why Is Adultery Bad?
It goes against God’s design by:
- Breaking the covenant of marriage
- Violating trust
- Destroying relationships
- Treating another person as an object instead of someone made in God’s image
1. Lust Is a Distortion of God’s Design for Relationships
The Ten Commandments said:
“You shall not commit adultery.”
Jesus said:
“Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
2. Lust Reveals a Thirsty Heart
Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
John 6:35
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 4:14
“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”
Six Steps on How We Can Abstain From Lust and Live in Obedience in Such an Environment
- Identify the pressures.
- Expose the myths.
- Remember that acts don’t come out of nowhere; it comes out of the heart.
- Welcome and cooperate with the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.
- Stay away from the things that quicken lust.
- Realize why the Creator made us sexual beings.
3. Jesus Offers Freedom, Not Condemnation
Jesus never minimizes sin.
But He never leaves sinners without hope.
Reflection
- Where have I been looking for satisfaction apart from Jesus?
- What desires have begun to replace my devotion to Christ?
- Is there anything hidden that needs to come into the light?
