Participants: Dale Leamon
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000007
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00:27 Thanks for joining us today!
00:31 We're going to have a good time together in God's word. 00:34 I am Pastor Dale Lemon from Battle creek Michigan 00:39 and so happy to be sharing here through 3ABN 00:42 Before we begin our study, let's have a word of prayer. 00:46 Father in heaven it is always a joy to open Your word 00:50 And we need Your Spirit to be our guide 00:53 through it, our interpreter, to fill our hearts 00:56 with the power of Your word. 00:58 that it may change us as we study 01:00 Bless me Lord, that I may be a tool in Your hand. 01:04 in Jesus name, AMEN! 01:07 The central characteristic of God is love. 01:14 So much so that the Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8 01:31 God is love 01:33 that is such a defining aspect of his character 01:36 that we can say that God is love. 01:37 Then also in the very same chapter 01:41 we have a similar verse. 01:43 Verse 16 01:59 So again we see God is love 02:03 and if we abide in love we are abiding in God 02:05 If we are experiencing love we are experiencing God. 02:08 If we are loving others, it is God loving through us. 02:11 Because God is love! 02:13 Unfortunately, in our present world, 02:16 We have a terrible misunderstanding 02:19 about what love is. 02:20 You see God's love is total unselfishness. 02:25 By that we mean He puts the needs, comforts, interests, 02:31 of all others above Himself. 02:34 He says whoever must be first, must be last. 02:39 And since God is first, He is also last. 02:43 He doesn't consider His own happiness 02:46 or His own well-being 02:48 until He has considered the happiness and well-being 02:51 of every other creature in the Universe. 02:54 That is clearly seen in the sacrifice that Jesus Christ 02:58 made on the cross. 02:59 So this is the definition of love that the Bible gives us. 03:03 A totally unselfish love. 03:06 Sometimes we use the word altruistic. 03:09 It's not about me. 03:11 It's about you! 03:12 We say, "I love pizza. " 03:16 What do we mean by that? 03:17 I'm going to act in behalf of the well-being of pizza? 03:22 I don't think so, I think we mean I like eating it. 03:26 I like having it. 03:28 I like chewing it I like swallowing it 03:29 I like smelling it 03:30 It's about me, see. 03:31 Totally backwards. 03:33 But we say, "I love" 03:35 I think Satan wants to confuse us as to what 03:38 love really is. 03:39 Because love is the central characteristic of God. 03:42 Satan doesn't want us to understand God's character. 03:44 He wants us to think, in fact, God is selfish. 03:47 He wants to put his characteristics on God. 03:49 He wants us to believe that God acts in His own behalf 03:52 instead of in ours. 03:53 We say, "Oh I love that women. " 03:56 I adore that women, I love her so much I can't stand 04:02 a moment without her, I must have her. 04:05 Huh! Once again that's not God's love. 04:10 That's about me! 04:12 That's about having my own needs meet. 04:15 So the love that God give us 04:19 is the kind of love that cares more for the other person. 04:23 Than for myself. 04:24 That is an astonishing kind of love 04:28 That is the very kind of love that God intended we 04:31 would be the bond of our entire human relationship. 04:37 He intended, as He made Adam and Eve, the first couple, 04:41 model perfect love relationship. 04:45 We have some verses in Genesis, which gives us an idea 04:51 of this Divine plan. 04:54 For instance, Genesis 1:27 05:09 It was God's intention that Adam and Eve would be a 05:13 united couple, made in His image, 05:17 but remember God is plural, Father and the Son 05:21 Holy Spirit, the love between them 05:23 is perfect, even each one caring more about the other. 05:26 Than about Himself 05:27 Jesus again modeled that when He came and gave His life. 05:30 He intended that Adam and Eve, made in His image 05:33 They also would be united each one 05:35 caring more about the other 05:36 then about themselves. 05:38 He says in chapter 2 of Genesis verse 24 05:55 One flesh! 05:58 They should be so completely wrapped up in 06:01 each other's well-being it is like one organism. 06:03 It's like our human body. 06:05 Where every organ serves every other organ. 06:09 Lives not for itself, but for the well-being of the whole. 06:12 So Adam and Eve's relationship before sin 06:16 was magnificent! 06:19 Oh Boy, we'd like to see some marriages like that now. 06:23 You see they trusted each other completely. 06:27 Totally about every single thing. 06:30 They never even thought about not trusting. 06:32 They laughed at the same things. 06:36 They were soul mates. 06:37 Being together was their greatest delight. 06:41 They shared everything. 06:45 They had no secrets from each other. 06:48 They loved to probe each others' minds. 06:53 To see God's creation through each others prospective. 06:57 They were always delighted to hear what the other saw, 07:01 and to comprehend what the other thought. 07:05 Before sin Adam and Eve never argued. 07:09 They never spoke a harsh word to each other. 07:13 They never were quarrelsome. 07:15 They were never sarcastic or ironic in the way they spoke. 07:21 They never even frowned at each other. 07:24 They always had a smile. 07:27 They never raised an eyebrow there was never 07:30 any scolding, or nagging. 07:33 Their unity was perfect. 07:37 Their partnership was a perfect model and 07:42 a perfect reflection of the partnership between 07:45 the Father and the Son. 07:49 That was the way God intended it. 07:52 God made them for each other, He made them perfectly 07:55 suited to each other. 07:56 All of their needs were meet because each of them 08:01 were more concerned about the happiness of the other. 08:05 Then about their own happiness. 08:08 Neither felt complete without the other. 08:12 Then came sin and everything changed. 08:21 They lost a lot more than innocence that day. 08:23 They immediately lost the bond of love, trust for each other. 08:28 We can read about it in Genesis 3 were 08:32 so clear that something has changed. 08:36 It's in verse 12 when God confronts them 08:39 after they eaten the fruit. 08:53 Obviously now he's blaming 08:58 He would never have thought of that, in fact, the whole 09:00 reason that he for joining her and eating the fruit 09:02 to begin with is because he didn't want to be 09:04 separated from her, he love her so much, 09:06 now all of a sudden he's blaming her 09:08 everything has changed. 09:11 And so their unity is shattered. 09:15 He no longer wants to share her fate. 09:18 He's willing to pin the blame on her. 09:20 Hoping he can escape and continue his blissful life. 09:24 But, of course, it is too late for him too. 09:28 Here we see the seed of adultery. 09:32 because as soon as we begin to resent our partner 09:38 and the sense of complete fidelity and trust is broken 09:45 self centeredness comes in. 09:47 And we begin to think, well I need to look out for myself. 09:54 Maybe this relationship isn't ideal. 09:57 Perhaps I can find more satisfaction 10:00 with another person. 10:02 Well, thank God for the ten commandments. 10:06 As we have been noticing they are promises. 10:11 They are promises more even than they are commandments. 10:16 Because God knew He couldn't save us by 10:20 commanding us to be good. 10:21 Because we don't have the power. 10:24 And so the commandments were very weak 10:27 All they could do is point out our weakness 10:30 But when we look at them a promises then we see 10:33 God's true purpose in the commandments. 10:34 His purpose to reveal to us what He would give us 10:39 as He saved us from sin. 10:41 And each of the commandments can be seen that way. 10:44 Including the seventh commandment. 10:47 Here is a glorious promise of eternal faithfulness. 10:53 Let's look at it in Exodus 20:14 11:04 People don't like that one, they tend to hear it 11:09 YOU SHALL NOT! 11:11 Well, of course it is good advice, committing adultery 11:13 is a very destructive thing to do. 11:15 It's a good command. 11:17 But it is one of the least favorites in our modern world. 11:20 Boy, we live in a world where this sin is one of the 11:24 most common one that is practiced. 11:26 You shall not commit adultery. 11:27 It thunders over people's heads and 11:30 makes them feel so guilty. 11:32 But that isn't God's main purpose in it. 11:34 His main purpose is to show us what He is going to give us. 11:37 He is going to give us a heart that is not an adulterous heart. 11:42 I will not even want to commit adultery. 11:44 He is going to give us a faithful heart. 11:46 That's what He wants us to see here. 11:48 that through Jesus fulfillment of every one 11:52 of these promises we can claim faithfulness 11:56 I tell you, we need a faithfulness pill don't we? 11:59 It would be good if we had that instead of some 12:02 of the other pills we give out. 12:03 We desperately need that. 12:05 God is able to give that to 12:07 us through Christ Jesus. 12:09 So that we can have profound, deep, altruistic love again 12:15 and care more about the well-being of others 12:17 than about meeting our own temporary needs. 12:22 Well you know how common this problem is in our world today 12:27 and we face it in nearly every extended family. 12:32 We see examples of it. 12:34 Very few marriages start out, anymore, without 12:38 premarital sex having taken place. 12:40 That's adultery too, by the way. 12:42 Because the Bible defines the proper sexual relationship 12:47 as taking place only in the committed bonds of marriage. 12:49 This word adultery, actually covers quite a bit of ground 12:54 because it refers to all kinds of illegitimate 12:56 sexual practices. 12:58 Prostitution, sex between same sex partners, etc. etc. 13:03 But it also covers any kind of wrong add mixture 13:09 Of things that God never intended to be put together. 13:12 That's why, the book of Revelation even says, 13:15 says the church has become adulterous, 13:17 mixing politics with the worship of the true God. 13:21 Things that do not belong together. 13:23 That is adultery. 13:25 Well we certainly see it in families. 13:27 I remember when Bob called me. 13:31 and he said that he and Jane weren't getting along. 13:34 And he thought there marriage was about to end. 13:37 He asked if he could come and visit with 13:38 me at my office. 13:39 In fact, he said, the two of them would 13:41 like to come together. 13:42 They did come and I was so glad they did. 13:45 He didn't tell me over the phone what 13:47 the central problem was. 13:48 But it didn't take long, in our conversation in the office, 13:51 to realize that Jane had discovered that Bob had 13:56 been having an affair. 13:57 She didn't feel she was obligated to put up with it. 14:00 Of course, according to the Scripture, she isn't. 14:04 But on the other hand, she had some of this 14:08 ultraistic love, she cared about Bob's well-being. 14:12 and she also cared about their marriage. 14:14 She cared about their children. 14:16 She hoped that maybe something could be done. 14:21 Bob to seemed genuinely contrite, and interested 14:25 in saving the marriage. 14:26 I was so glad, as we talked together, 14:28 that he felt really, really bad about what 14:32 he had been doing 14:34 and realized he needed help. 14:37 Well Jane agreed to help. 14:39 Not that it was her fault at all. 14:41 She agreed to help him to recognize his needs 14:46 and to be a little more careful to be sure that their 14:49 communication at home, everything was as strong 14:53 as it should be, to do her part. 14:55 But he was the one who needed the majority 14:57 of the help and he knew it and he admitted it. 15:01 He wondered if there was any way that he could 15:05 overcome his terrible problem 15:07 of needing, he thought, the excitement of 15:11 going beyond the relationship of marriage. 15:13 Well, I'm so happy to say, that I was able to 15:18 share with him, Jesus victor in the 15:23 seventh commandment, and therefore the promise 15:27 that He has to offer in keeping us from being adulterers. 15:31 It is fantastic folks, this is a promise. 15:34 When we see it as a command we just get discouraged 15:37 because we think, Oh I just can't seem to keep it. 15:40 I can't seem to live up to it, I'm so weak, I'm so weak. 15:43 But when we see it as a promise, we realize that Jesus 15:46 has fulfilled it and that we can claim His victory. 15:51 And so I pointed him to Jesus, now he really hadn't 15:56 hadn't been a Christian before that time, he really didn't 15:57 know anything about the power of the gospel, 16:00 so it was a delight and we began studying 16:02 the Bible together and he began to see that there 16:08 was power, could be power in every part 16:10 of his life through Christ. 16:12 And as he gave his heart to Jesus, 16:14 He gained the victory. 16:17 It was a joy to his wife as their unity was restored, 16:22 as he became honest with her, they began to 16:25 discuss everything together, as their oneness 16:29 was made real again. 16:32 It was all because of prayer, they prayed together at night. 16:35 They prayed together in the morning. 16:38 He became very comfortable with having 16:40 her know where he was, and who he was with, 16:43 and when he would be home. 16:44 She really gained a complete new trust for him 16:49 and their marriage was saved. 16:50 She forgave him. 16:51 That's beautiful, that's the gospel. 16:54 That is how God works in situations that seem hopeless. 16:59 But it is all because Jesus kept the commandment for us, 17:05 and therefore turned a what was thou shalt not 17:09 thundering down form Sinai, into a glorious promise. 17:13 You will no longer behave in this way because 17:18 I am delivering you from that behavior. 17:22 Well people don't think about how Jesus gain the victory 17:28 in the area of sexual relations, it's well known that 17:33 Jesus Himself, who is not married, but yet He did. 17:38 In fact He gained the victory in every aspect 17:40 of human life in the flesh. 17:42 There's a beautiful Scripture, 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20 17:50 which covers a lot of ground let's read it. 18:07 God is glorified in us because Jesus has already 18:13 kept all of God's promises, 18:14 All the promises of God are yes and amen, they're 18:18 already finished in Christ. 18:20 Every promise that God has made, all ten of those 18:23 promise that He made are written on tables of stone 18:27 have already been kept in Christ Jesus as well. 18:30 Well let's look at the victories Jesus had 18:35 in the area of adultery. 18:39 First of all, as we said earlier adultery is a much broader term 18:45 than we often consider it. 18:46 We can adulterate our own bodies. 18:50 That's right, now certainly we can do that sexually, 18:54 The apostle Paul talks about that. 18:56 But we can even do that in terms of how we eat and drink. 19:00 We can put things in that do not belong in. 19:02 That the Maker didn't intend for us to use, 19:05 that can destroy us and ruin our happiness. 19:09 Jesus was accused of living loosely, he was 19:12 accused of eating and drinking with the sinners and publicans. 19:16 Well He did go to their dinners and banquets. 19:20 But He never ever committed adultery or sin, He never 19:25 took into Himself that which would destroy Him. 19:29 He says, which of you convinces me of sin? 19:31 Jesus was very very careful to be an example 19:36 to us in every way. 19:38 He was, of course, questioned by the Pharisee who had the 19:46 feast at his house. 19:49 You will remember when the women of ill repute 19:53 came in to the feast and knelt down by Jesus feet? 19:59 She began to cry and wipe His feet with her hair. 20:05 Then she poured that precious ointment on His feet 20:10 and the Pharisee who had invited Jesus there was so embarrassed 20:13 that women had come in. 20:15 Then he was embarrassed for his guests, he was thinking 20:19 in his heart, "He ought to know what kind of women this is. " 20:23 "He shouldn't let His reputation suffer like that. " 20:28 Now that particular Pharisee himself had been an adulterer, 20:31 in fact, he was the one, the relative of the women 20:34 who had introduced her to a life of sin, 20:36 and in his hypocrisy he was criticizing Jesus. 20:40 But Jesus turned that all around when He said, 20:43 "Who do you think would love God the most?" 20:45 "The one that's forgiven of a big sin, 20:47 or the one whose forgiven of a little sin?" 20:49 So Jesus showed His completeness and His 20:52 relationship with that women was a spiritual one, 20:54 and the reason that she was so thrilled to be with Him 20:58 that she would even anoint His feet with expensive perfume 21:04 was because she had been forgiven. 21:07 She had experienced real love. 21:12 You see that is the whole thing that heals adultery, 21:15 Adultery is a cheap imitation, you know why people fall for it? 21:22 There is a sense of loneliness, a feeling that no one 21:25 really understands me, no one really cares, 21:27 a desire for intimacy which God created in us. 21:29 A yearning to be close and to experience that complete 21:36 but it is not there, that complete oneness is not there. 21:39 Adultery isn't there. 21:40 It's a cheap counterfeit. 21:43 She, the women who had anointed Jesus feet, had finally 21:47 found love, Oh yes! 21:49 Jesus was her lover, but not physically. 21:53 He was a lover of her soul. 21:55 At last she knew what it was like to be understood. 21:59 To be cared for, to be respected, to be trusted, 22:04 To be totally accepted. 22:07 She found in Jesus a perfect love, 22:10 what she had always been looking for. 22:14 He turned out to be the man of her dreams. 22:19 Her heart was so overflowing with satisfaction, 22:22 she did not even need to go on with her life of sin. 22:26 No wonder that Jesus could say to the women, 22:30 who was brought to Him in the temple, 22:31 "I don't condemn you, but go your way, and sin no more. " 22:37 Because Jesus had overcome in our behalf, 22:41 every temptation to that cheapness of counterfeit love, 22:45 and had experienced the true, the real thing, His relationship 22:50 with His Father and in His relationship with everyone 22:54 of the people for whom He came and died 22:56 Jesus said, "I did not come to to destroy the law, 23:00 but to full fill the law. " 23:02 He has done that in His personal life. 23:06 Some people, in this recent time, have even accused 23:09 Jesus of having some kind of homosexual relationship 23:12 with the beloved disciple John. 23:14 But that is absolute rubbish, people who lived with Jesus 23:18 gave the testimony that He was absolutely pure 23:23 in every matter of the law of the Jews. 23:26 And such behavior was prohibited by that law. 23:30 Jesus could not have died for our sins if He Himself 23:32 was not entirely victorious. 23:35 Well we have to understand the spirituality of 23:41 this adultery law in order to make sure that we don't just 23:46 look at others, we need to look into our own hearts. 23:48 Matthew 5 verse 27 is very clear, 27 and 28 24:09 And so we find friends that, probably most of us, 24:14 have been guilty, perhaps, more than once 24:17 of violating the seventh commandment. 24:20 Thank God though that there is hope for all of us. 24:23 He can take away that longing, that lustful longing 24:27 for something that can't satisfy anyway, 24:29 because He can give us His fulfillment 24:33 of that commandment. 24:34 He can put into our hearts a taste of the love 24:37 that comes from God. 24:38 God is love and Jesus has experienced that 24:44 love in the flesh. 24:46 So He knows that it is available to us and He's 24:50 able to make it available to us in our flesh as well. 24:54 Some people are saying, "I can't have this victory 24:57 until I lose this body, not so, Jesus had this 25:01 victory in His body. 25:03 He even made it harder than He's made it on us, 25:06 far harder because He never married. 25:09 He didn't have the divinely provided outlet 25:13 for His physical needs. 25:14 He had to find satisfaction, complete satisfaction, 25:20 for all parts of His being through His relationship 25:23 with His Father alone. 25:25 That is the power of His victory. 25:28 Because I have heard single people, at times, say 25:31 "Well you can't expect me to live without an 25:33 occasional relationship after all I'm single. 25:36 Oh yes, Jesus has the victory for that. 25:39 Jesus wasn't longing, He wasn't craving, He wasn't coveting, 25:43 He wasn't looking at women, having to look away with a 25:46 embarrassed expression on His face, no! 25:50 He was satisfied because the love of God satisfies. 25:55 And so that is the power of the victory He has for us. 26:01 Jesus, however, was married. 26:03 That's right! Or soon will be. 26:07 You don't remember that? 26:09 Well, not to a women as we see it. 26:12 But He is marrying the entire family 26:16 of human beings who will be be saved. Revelation 19:9 26:29 That's you and me. 26:30 This is, these are true sayings of God, don't you see! 26:36 We are all to be part of the bride of Christ. 26:42 That is why we count on His absolute victory 26:47 in the seventh commandment. 26:49 Because Jesus is saying, "I promise you I will be 26:55 faithful to you for all eternity. " 26:58 I am united to you, not only am I one with 27:03 My Heavenly Father, but I am going to become one 27:05 with everyone of you. 27:07 And we together will live a life of absolute joy 27:13 and oneness, we will never argue, we will never quarrel, 27:16 we will be soul mates together, we will never frown at each 27:21 other, I am going to be so faithful to you for so long 27:24 that you will never even question Me again. 27:28 Not like Satan did so long ago, you will trust Me 27:32 perfectly for all eternity, You will look to Me as the lover 27:36 of your soul, and you will always be satisfied 27:42 with what I can provide. 27:44 Jesus has kept the seventh commandment for us. 27:49 He will keep it for all eternity. 27:50 He will write it on your heart. 27:53 If this is an area in which you struggle, 27:56 Take Jesus' victory. |
Revised 2014-12-17