Go... And Sin No More
John 8:3-11

This message, as I stated in my last message, will be on a subject which is touched on very briefly but rarely ever dealt with in depth in the church today. The Bible speaks of it quite frequently and consistently, and although it is rampant both within and without the Body of Christ, it seems as though those who are in the leadership positions would rather bury it than bring it out to the light. The subject is sexual immorality, a multi-faceted problem which plagues our homes and our churches from the children on up. It is a cancer that is destroying the very fabric of our society, having crept into every avenue of life including the highest office in the land, that of President of the United States. Because it is a subject that wears many faces, rather than try to cover it all in one short article, this time I will deal specifically with the sin of adultery, in an effort to share with you the horrendous damage this sin can and does cause, both for the ones involved in it as well as their spouses and children. Most of all I want to show you the grief on the heart of God when His children become involved in this most destructive and self-defeating behavior.

What the Bible has to say on the sin of adultery can be found easily by going to any good concordance and looking up the word 'adultery'. The scriptures are clear cut and easily understood, so rather than go into a study and discourse on what they say, allow me to give you an example out of life that will demonstrate the problem, the sin, the ramifications of that sin, the answer to it, and the grace and mercy of God.

Some time ago, my husband prayed for deliverance for a lady who had been involved in adultery. This lady had a husband and children who dearly loved her and, in her own words she, 'lacked for nothing' in any area of her life, with the possible exception of spiritual commitment on her part. Her husband was always there for her. He loved and encouraged her, and her children adored her. She had a nice home and lived a storybook life. I am sure they had their problems as we all do, but for the most part they seemed to be very happy and close.

I don't claim to have a complete understanding as to why this lady allowed herself to fall into this terrible sin. I know from talking to many women that most of them do not get involved in adultery as a result of sexual desire. More often than not it has to do with some emotional need or problem in their lives, and rather than talk about it with a loving husband, a sister in the Lord or even God, they are drawn away into sin.

The basis for it, whether we want to admit it or not is rooted in selfishness. The 'I' syndrome that is pounded into us today. 'I don't feel good about myself, so I need this or that.' 'I want to do this'. 'I, I, I...'. But it is a fact that focusing on yourself will always get you into trouble of some kind. Jesus commands us to 'love one another,' and 'consider others more important than yourselves.'

At any rate, because of the problems this lady was having within herself, and her lack of commitment to Jesus, she was ripe for a major attack from the devil. (Not that I am advocating blaming all our sins on the devil. We can't do that, but our own weaknesses make us more susceptible to his schemes and snares.) In any case, she became involved in adultery. She soon reached a point where she knew she could not go on and so she stopped her sinning and cried out to God in repentance for her actions. I need to tell you that had she not done this she would have been found out anyway. You cannot hide sin forever for the Bible clearly tells us that our sins will eventually be brought to the light.

Although she had stopped the adultery and repented to God, she needed to confess to her husband and obtain forgiveness from him as well because he was aware of the affairs for the Lord had spoken to him about them. She was deeply afraid she would lose her husband and family but she did finally tell her husband, which is how we came to be involved in her deliverance. Ron was the primary person who prayed for her to be delivered from the spirits of lust, luring, sexual immorality, adultery and all of the spirits that go along with them. She experienced a total and complete deliverance and cleansing from the Lord. She committed her life wholly to Jesus and was forgiven, purified and set gloriously free. She became a new creation in Christ and her life changed totally.

But although her sins were forgiven by everyone, nevertheless there were consequences of that sin that needed to be dealt with. You see, sin never just affects the one who is involved in it. This lady's husband, although he completely forgave her and still loved her, experienced a degree of hurt and betrayal that was painful to see. He lived in agony because of the love he had for his wife. She lived in agony because of the pain she had brought to him. Their children lived in fear and insecurity wondering if their parents were going to split up. It was a situation that took all of the faith and prayer the body of Christ could send forth to the Lord, and, in their case, He answered gloriously. Not only did God set her free, but He touched her husband and took away all of the hurt and heartbreak and today their love for each other is deeper, richer and stronger than ever before, as is their marriage.

Lest you think there is an easy way out of this sin, let me tell you at this point that this couple is the exception, not the rule. Her husband is a devout man of God and a devoted husband and father who was not willing to let the devil break apart his family, and she is a fighter who refused to give in to the fear and guilt, which would have allowed the enemy to destroy her home. Together they hung on to Jesus and prayed and believed the Lord for a miracle, and God did answer their prayers but it took awhile.

Most people who get involved in adultery end up divorced. That's the sad truth, but it doesn't have to be. All that is needed is for the one who is tempted to resist the devil and say, 'NO I will not get involved in this.' They need to think about what they could be losing and count the cost. They will find it is not worth it.

This lady and her husband and children still live with the specter of her sin hanging over them, for regardless of all of that God has done in their lives, the devil is always there to try and bring back the hurt, to split them apart, destroy her with guilt and him with pain. They remain strong but they go through trials that did not need to be there. Once a wrong is done we can never go back and undo it. The things you do, the words you speak are not retractable. They can be repented of and forgiven but the consequences of the sin still remain. Yes, the Lord can and does do miracles for people but He will never condone sin.

Can you be so sure you will not die before you have the chance to repent? Are you willing to take a chance on losing everything that makes life worth living? Don't be fools. Sin is crouching at your door and desires to have you - so says the Word of God. Tell the devil to 'get thee behind' you and flee from all evil desires that will take you to hell for all eternity. Whatever problems you have, however unhappy you are, whatever temptations you may encounter, the answer will never be to go into sin. Just turn your eyes upon Jesus and thank Him for all that He has done for you. Commit your life and your way unto Him and He will never forsake you.

I pray this message reaches and touches the hearts of all those who are considering becoming involved in adultery before it is too late. I pray you will open yourself up to the Holy Spirit and let Him lead you back to the right path. Take seriously the warnings in this message and in the Word of God, for once you commit yourself to the sin you cannot stop the consequences from happening and you cannot undo the wrong. You can only then seek the forgiveness of God and of your loved ones and pray you do not lose everything that you have ever loved as a result of your foolishness.

Being in the ministry we see so much needless hurt, so much devastation. If people only understood the horrible results of their sin before hand they might stop to consider the outcome before taking that final step on the path that leads to death. All of the answers are there in the Word of God. Study to show yourselves approved. Listen to those who have been there. They know. Get rid of that pride and selfishness that will only lead to a fall and humble yourself before God. Cry out to Him and He will be there to meet all your needs.

Allow me to close with the following example out of our own history: In 1918 at the end of WWI and during the height of the terrible influenza epidemic, there was no accurate count of how many hugs and kisses led to a death sentence for people. Today there is no accurate count of how many of those same kinds of hugs and kisses lead to the death sentence of the sin of adultery. Is it your prayer and hope to grow old alone, with no husband or wife by your side, no children to care for you? Most of those who would answer 'of course not' are the very ones who either have or are considering becoming involved in adultery either actively or in the heart.

Remember, the Bible says if you lust in your heart you have already committed the sin. I venture to say you would not be willing to gamble with your life by playing Russian Roulette, yet you will gamble with your home and family and even eternity by getting involved in this most devastating of sins. Back in 1918 some villages lost 80% of their population to the influenza virus. Today some churches lose up to that same percentage of their congregations to the sin of adultery, yet there is no fear of reprisal. But Jesus said, "outside are the dogs, the sexually immoral...". Wake up people, before it is too late. Sister, don't look away from your God and your husband, but go back home where you belong. Brother, do not forsake the wife of your youth. Keep the vows you made before God for nothing and no one is worth breaking them for.

Again, I pray you hear and heed this alarm call.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions about this article.