“This people draweth nigh unto [M] with their mouth, and honoureth [M]e with their lips; but their heart is far from [M]e.”  (Matthew 15)

 

We have taught before that sin comes in many forms.  We have noted the difference between sin and sins. Sin is the root of sins. Sins are the symptom of the greater problem, Sin. Sins cannot be conquered or mortified through the Spirit until the issue of Sin is addressed. Sin is the enemy, while sins are it’s servants.  One could think what (s)atan is to his demons is what Sin is to sins. In terms of our great God, one might say that Holiness and Glory are His core Attributes and all other attributes come from Glory and Holiness.

With the above being written, we add that even sins have their children. To be clear there in SIN, sins, and sin’s many forms and disguises. This is how deep sin goes in the whole of the human. One of the great sins of our time, yea, all times is adultery. As sins have their many forms and disquises so does adultery as adultery is a sin.

One must not think that adultery is defined solely by sexual intimacy and the fulfilling of the lusts of the flesh and giving in to concupisence. Our Lord teaches us that if a man lusts after another in his heart he has committed adultery in his heart already. This does not give the go ahead to fall into, stumble into, or to dive into adultery. Some persons possessed with a spirit of licentiousness might say, if I’ve done it already in my heart why not follow through with it. Of course this is not our Lord’s point. His point is, if a person entertains these lusts, they have committed the sin by their lust and desire.  He is also teaching us that when one entertains lusts in the imagination, one will at some point follow through with their desires.

Adultery takes other forms. God charges his people with adultery when they turn to other gods that are not gods. When the people of God in the Old Testament would worship and serve gods of other nations and look to graven images, they are playing the whore.  Playing the whore is a strong statement but committing spiritual adultery is a great offense to God.

What ways could believers be committing a type of adultery? There is emotional adultery and spiritual adultery. When a person takes comfort from someone other than their spouse or God, it is emotional adultery or spiritual adultery, respectively. Emotional adultery will lead to the physical and spiritual adultery will lead to blacksliding.

Pornography is a form of adultery. When a person sits at a screen and watches explicit material in order to be sexually satisfied, that person is committing adultery.

When one watches television or films and they find themselves cheering for a “will they or won’t they” this is cheering for sin and sins.  When someone cheers for a divorce so that another relationship can happen is cheering for sin and sins.  When someone cheers for the rebellious child who goes against parents, they cheer for sin and sins. When some hopes for young persons on television to “get together,” they are cheering for sin and sins. When one enjoys the dumbing down of the father figure, they are cheering against God’s economy and order.

Why would Christ-ians fall into this trap?
*The enemy of God and God’s people is subtle and sneaky in his machinations or tricks.  The enemy is very skilled in what he does.

*The old man, the old nature, the carnal nature still exists and depending upon what a Christ-ian does with it, they might strengthen it and empower it to destroy themselves and others and to go against God without realizing it.

*Since (s)atan is the god of this world, since (s)atan is the prince of the power of the air, since we wrestle against principalities, against power, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places we should expect to be tempted and tried by these enemies. These enemies are subtle like their leader and they are here to distract us, discourage us, destroy us and to detour us from what is right, good, and true.

*Our own heart is against us, Jeremiah says it is deceitfully wicked and asks, “Who can know it?”

With all the above going against the Christ-ian is it any wonder why some are tricked into loving this world, while they believe they are doing things proper? Is it any wonder why Christ-ians can be in the world and not realize it? Our enemies are actively fighting against us, while Christ-ians are passively thinking all is well and cheering on what God hates.

How are we to snap out of this state of worldly hypnotism?
*One must desire to be right with God and understand that will make one wrong with this world and this world and the enemies will fight back. The desire to be right with God is the foundation to being right with God. If one does not constantly check one’s desire and focus to be right with God, one will wander, ask Christian from Pilgrim’s Progress.

*One must remember that the Christ-ian is to “judge all things.”  This means the Christ-ian is to discern what is right/wrong, true/false, good/bad. This discernment is to be based upon the objective Word of God and not one’s feelings or “holy” opinions.

*Once one has done the above, one then must act upon the judgments derived from the Word of God. That means all things will be seen in accordance to God’s judgments. That means one will no longer cheer for what is wrong and bad and false on television. That means one will begin to reign in the heart. That means one will recognize and acknowledge all the enemies that are actively seeking one’s destruction and the destruction of the family and the church and begin to actively fight back….

To actively fight back we will begin to “fight the good fight.” One fights the good fight by understanding the world is the enemy and one must rely upon the Word of God, one must rely upon one’s walk with God or rather the God Who walks with us as we seek to be near Him, and one must pray and watch, watch and pray. One must keep the whole armour of God upon one’s person, one must always have the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit at hand. One must put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.

To summarize: We must choose God and ALL His ways or the world and all it’s ways and be not deceived, none can serve two (2) masters and all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and that is where He will ask us all what we have done and been with all that He has given us and made us.  This is very sobering to me.

Godspeed.