Biblical Morality
12 January 2020 AM – Hebrews 13:4 – Heb19 – Scott Childs
Introduction: Morality is crumbling and marriage is under attack by the devil. A US article written back in 2014 reported the following. “In 2013, just 46 percent of children lived in a household with both biological parents who are in their first marriage. In 1960, 73 percent of children lived with both parents.” https://www.thetrumpet.com/12312-traditional-families-on-the-decline We see the same thing happening around us in Australia. Satan is working overtime to destroy morality and marriages. We must be equipped to stand against his attacks.
Transition: In our text this morning, God gives us three statements about morality that ought to help mould our character as Christians.
The first statement God makes about morality is that …
1. Marriage is to be precious
The word “honourable” has the idea of precious, valuable, held in honour, esteemed and especially dear. God uses this word to describe His opinion of marriage.
a. Four reasons marriage is precious.
1) God designed it. (Genesis 2:24) “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”
a) God perfectly designed marriage to be between one man and one woman for life to protect morality.
b) Marriage is far more than a piece of paper. It is leaving home and cleaving to your spouse and being joined together by God Himself.
2) Jesus Christ sanctioned it. (Matthew 19:5-6) “And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Divorce should never be an escape hatch.
3) It is protective by design. (1 Corinthians 7:2) “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” God designed marriage to fulfil sexual needs properly.
4) It is the source of strong stable families. When a marriage fails, the emotional stability of that family is severely impacted. God designed children with emotional, physical, physiological, and instructional needs that can only be fully met by parents with a stable loving marriage.
b. Ways to keep marriage precious.
1) Only marry a person for his or her God-fearing character not because they seem to fulfil an emotional or sexual need. A marriage built on the physical is headed for disaster.
2) Pray daily with your spouse.
3) Thank God daily for your spouse.
4) Compliment your spouse often.
5) Communicate about everything (Sermon: Enhancing Communication)
6) Resolve your conflicts quickly, biblically, humbly and permanently.
7) Guard your thoughts. Never dream about another person fulfilling your needs. Never compare your spouse to another person.
8) Husbands, bounce your eyes away from immodest women. Wives, dress modestly to avoid attracting other men.
9) Determine to be faithful to your spouse in thought and action for life.
10) Teach your children from an early age what God expects in a marriage. Teach them modesty. Teach them to guard their minds. Teach them purity.
The second statement God makes about morality is that …
2. Purity is to be Protected
a. The idea of purity until marriage is rapidly going extinct.
1) God’s plan is for two young people to remain virgins until they are married.
2) That is becoming very rare today.
3) The phrase in our text, “and the bed undefiled” not only applies to purity BEFORE marriage, it also applies to fidelity within marriage.
4) God clearly said that all sex outside of marriage is wrong.
b. Protecting purity takes extra effort in our immoral age.
1) We must remember that Jesus said sins of action all begin in the heart. (Mark 7:21-22) “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:”
2) Since sin begins in the heart, we must aggressively protect our hearts. If you look at dirty pictures or dirty movies (even with your spouse), you are filling your heart with dirt that Satan will later bring up to lead your actions astray. Discipline your mind and keep it clean. Have a friend or your spouse regularly ask you about your thoughts.
3) Study carefully God’s moral instructions, particularly in the book of Proverbs. Study them with your spouse. Teach them early to your children.
4) As mentioned above, dress modestly and turn from immodesty.
5) Never flirt or talk about intimate things with a person of the opposite gender.
6) If your marriage ever feels unfulfilling, then force yourself to restudy the role God designed for you in marriage and triple your efforts to be the spouse God wants you to be. Remember the love and respect cycle outlined by Emerson Eggerichs. “His love motivates her respect; her respect motivates his love.”
The third statement God makes about morality is that …
3. Immorality will be Punished
a. Morality is not relative
1) We have no say in what is moral and immoral. Our Creator God set the rules.
2) God said that sexual intimacy is to be reserved for marriage alone. In the context of marriage, Solomon wrote, (Proverbs 5:15) “Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.”
3) God warns against infidelity. (Proverbs 5:20-21) “And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman [a woman that is not your wife], and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.”
b. God will judge immorality.
1) The word translated “whoremonger” is found ten times in the New Testament, five times translated whoremonger and five time translated fornicator. It refers to sexual intimacy when unmarried.
2) The word “adulterers” refers to sexual intimacy with someone other than your spouse.
3) These sinful activities God will judge. The word “judge” does not specify how God will judge them. It simply states that he will judge them.
a) A true Christian will never lose his salvation. He is born into God’s family (Jn 1:12); He has eternal life (Jn 5:24); He is sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14); God will continue the work He has begun in him (Php 1:6); God saves to the uttermost (Heb 7:25); he is kept by the power of God (1Pe 1:5).
b) God will chasten those who sin (Heb 12:5-8).
c) A true Christian who sins will lose his fellowship with God but not his relationship with God (1Jn 1). Praise God for His promised forgiveness in 1 John 1:9.
d) At the Judgment Seat, he will lose rewards and be rebuked by God (2Co 5:10; 1Co 3:11-15).
Conclusion: We have examined three of God’s statements that ought to help mould our character. Marriage is to be precious. Purity is to be protected. Immorality will be punished.
If you are married, make it your life’s ambition to keep your marriage precious. If you have been divorced, then confess your failures, draw near to God and keep yourself pure. If you have not yet been married, keep yourself pure and pray that you will follow God’s leading and not your feelings.
Song: Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord – 337