Adultery and the Lustful Look

# 77 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 3:2 A bishop (pastor) then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, (1 Tim 3:2) Let's spend some more time on this qualification of “husband of one wife.” As we said last time, this means that the pastor cannot be taken hold of or blackmailed by others on the score of sexual promiscuity or laxity! In other words he must be sexually faithful to his wife. (if married and be sexually chaste if he is single) There is a line being drawn in the sand here. Remember again the environment of these early church plants. Remember where these recent converts from paganism were coming from! Fornication, promiscuity, sexual laxity of all forms were prevalent in their culture, and in their religion. It is more than likely that these recent converts to Christianity were former adulterers. But these practices were strictly forbidden by the fledgling church of Jesus Christ. NO MORE ADULTERY OR UNCHASTE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR FOR FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST! But wait a minute, Jesus said in Mt 5:28 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” I hate to say it, but that pretty much reduces the pool of pastoral candidates to zero! So what do we do with that? Well, this lusting is a sin to be sure, so deal with it as you would with any other sin. Confess it, seek to turn from it, and receive God's forgiveness. Fight to remember that behind every set of eyes is a soul that matters to God! This lusting “adultery” is a sin of the heart and only the devil is able to take it and use it to take hold of a person and blackmail them on the score of sexual promiscuity or laxity! If he does, remember your your standing in Christ. The devil may accuse you, but God is not listening to his accusations. Re 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” But there is a sexual sin of lust by which a pastor can be “taken hold of and blackmailed, and that sin is the public sin embodied in what we call pornography. And we'll talk about that next time!

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

494 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 11:2,3, “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" (2 Sam 11:2,3) Odds are that our modern day trysts aren't going to be triggered by a night time walk on a roof. We have our own set of triggers, our own sets of circumstances and conditions that make for the powder keg of sexual sin. Whatever those circumstances may be, let us heed the advice of the Holy Spirit as given to us in Scripture. This is God talking to us about sexual sin! Hear what He has to say! 1Co 6:18 says, “Flee sexual immorality.” The word flee means to run away! Don't walk, don't saunter....run! Get far away from this sin quickly! In Job 31:1, He encourages us with these words, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” And Jesus tells us in Mt 5:28 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Adultery! That's what's going on with David and Bathsheba, and it's a double dose of adultery, both are married, and God can't speak much plainer against adultery than He does in the Commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Now, one might say, but Jesus didn't condemn the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. Yes that's true. Jesus forgives adultery, as He forgives all sins, but He certainly doesn't condone it. His parting words to the woman were, “Go and sin no more.” “Don't commit adultery. Father, help us to take your words about sexual sin to heart. Give us a new appreciation of Your passion for the sanctity of marriage. In Jesus Name, Amen.