Tonight, I want to speak on the seventh commandment, some things about it. Before we do, I'd like to read it, and before we read it, I'd like to just have us bow our heads and our hearts in a word of prayer. Let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, we bow our heads before thee. We pray that thou would assist us to about our hearts before thee as well. O Lord, as we would seek to walk a very narrow edge tonight, we ask especially, blessed Father, that you'd be pleased to send your Spirit to sanctify our efforts as we speak and sanctify to the hearing and to the prophet of those who hear. We pray Thee, send Thy Spirit. We come as little babies, asking that Thou would be pleased to assist us, take the wax from our ears, take the dust of this world from our eyes, that we might behold the beauty of Thy salvation as it manifests in Christ. And O Lord, tonight as we consider this one of Thy great precepts, Thy laws, we pray, in our day when it's so prevalent that homes and lives and children are wrecked because of open rebellion against this, thy clear teaching. We need more especially, Father, to cry out, send thy Spirit, send thy Spirit to assist us. For Jesus' sake, amen. seventh commandment, thou shalt not commit adultery. Now I don't believe, I believe that we're meant to preach, and every Bible preacher would say that he desires to preach the whole counsel of God. And I don't know how we can preach the whole counsel of God, a preacher can stand in the pulpit year after year and neglect some of these weighty things that's so affecting our generation. And I don't think that we can assign by our silence these holy themes, such as we're going to look at tonight, to the poets and to the carnal novelists and to Hollywood and the godless professors and the clergy that has betrayed the Bible and its standards, or to the apostate sleeping church that has Ichabod written all over its doors. I don't think we can assign these holy themes to such people. Young people, I want to say tonight at the outset, I'm glad you're here, especially I'm glad the young people are here, but I want to say at the very outset, with all the concern of my heart and all the compassion of my heart, and I say this at the very outset, if you set aside God's clear teaching of the Bible on sexual immorality, for any new morality, whether propagated by atheistic professors or schools or apostate churches, I want to warn you with tears and pleadings that you will suffer, you will pay an awful price in this world, and I believe, according to the Bible, you will suffer the pains and punishment of hell in the life to come, unless you find mercy in God's sight. I'm a remedy and the only remedy for sin and uncleanness as it's revealed in the gospel. Now this same Bible that promises peace in heaven and for the redeemed also, this same Bible that I look at tonight also warns whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. And I don't want to be more pious in the Bible. Some people are more pious in the Bible. I don't want to apologize for what's in the Bible. And that's why I think these great old confessions, and I'm going to start off tonight by reading from the larger catechism, the Westminster larger catechism. And I think the principles here would be the same in the Heidelberg catechism, which is probably the two greatest catechisms in existence. And I want to read verbatim, without too much comment, just three questions and answers from the Catechism before I begin tonight. This is question 137 in the Roger Catechism, and this is the question. What is the seventh commandment? The answer, the seventh commandment is, thou shalt not commit adultery. The next question is, what are the duties, now notice this is the duties, this is not the prohibitions, there's two parts to all the commandments. And so as I read now, remember I'm talking about the duties. What are the duties required in the Seventh Commandment? And the answer is, the duties required in the Seventh Commandment are chastity in body, mind, affections, words, and behavior, and the preservation of it in ourselves and others, watchfulness over our eyes and all of our senses, temperance keeping of chaste company, keeping of chaste company, modest apparel," and I could preach a sermon on that tonight, because I don't believe Fifth Avenue is ever meant to set the standard for God's people. And if there's anything that grieves me, it's to hear Christian women say, well, they're doing that this year. And I say, who's doing that this year? Fifth Avenue, but not Christian people, necessarily. And that's not my subject, apparel, tonight. But I want to remind you that I'm not reading from Wesley's perfectionism. I'm reading from the Westminster Confession of Faith, and it has something to say about modest apparel. I don't know exactly what that is. But I do know that some apparel is not modest by any stretch of the imagination. Part of the duties is modest apparel, marriage by those who have not the gifts of continency, that is, self-restraint, the duty of conjugal love and cohabitation, diligent labor in our callings, shunning all occasions of uncleanliness, and resisting temptation thereto. That's the duty. Now, the next question is, what are the sins? What are the sins forbidden in the Seventh Commandment? The sins forbidden in the Seventh Commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are adultery, fornication, rape, incest, sodomy, and all unnatural lust, all unclean imaginations, purposes and affections, all corrupt or filthy communications, that's the dirty stories you listen to, all corrupt and filthy communication or listening thereunto, wanton look, imprudent or light behavior, immodest apparel, prohibiting of lawful and dispensing with unlawful marriages, allowing and tolerating of stews, now you don't know what that is probably, I better tell you, because you can't find it in any new dictionary. You'd have to get an old, old dictionary to find out what a stew is. That's nothing but a brothel, a house of lewdness, of ill repute, and it was connected with steam bands. The allowing or tolerating of stews, or resorting to them, entangling vows of a single wife, undue delay in marriage, having more wives or more husbands than one at the same time, unjust divorce, desertion, idleness, gluttony, drunkenness, unchaste company, lascivious songs, this is not Wesley's perfectionism, lascivious songs, books, pictures, dancing, stage plays, and all other provocations thereto, or the acts of uncleanness, either in ourselves or others. Now, tonight, I want to say that this is a very difficult subject. that I have assigned myself, that I feel that we have a very great need in our day for somebody that believes the Bible to say something about it. We need much wisdom, as I say it. I need much wisdom because it needs to be said, some things, very plainly, yet reverently and respectfully. And that's not easy. It needs to be said with faithfulness to warn and educate and to woo. It needs to be said with fervency, with compassion and concern and clearness and cleanness. It must be said with concern, not just scolding people. Sometimes I've seen people advertise they're going to speak on sex, and they bring in all the magazines of bookstands and wave around all the filthy literature. That's not my purpose tonight. I don't have any such thing. I got a Bible and a few quotes from what's meant to be respectable magazines, and I don't have any quotes from Playboy or anything like that. I don't have anything to incite sins. I'm trying to kill sin, not trying to excite it and stimulate it. And so it's not my approach whatsoever to do it that way. My subject tonight is of a razor edge. It's very narrow between love and lust. I believe it's a narrow line between vice and virtue. And fact is, it cannot always be walked with words. And fact is, we cannot always know in ourselves, in our own hearts, to make a clear distinction whether it's love or lust or vice or virtue. Now, if you think, when we think of the 7th Commandment tonight, if you think of the 7th Commandment, if the only thing you think of is sexual acts and immorality and lasciviousness and licentiousness, you're missing the whole part of the 7th Commandment. Because the 7th Commandment, my dear, has to do with the home. And it has to do with the marriage. It has to do with children. And if you close your eyes tonight, just for three seconds, You could think probably among your own relatives, among your friends, if you think tonight of the homes and the children that tonight are in an awful condition and are suffering in this world already because of the violation of this, and the men and women whose lives have been ruined because of the ignorance or the violation of the seventh commandment, you won't think it's anything dirty, you won't think it's anything funny, you'll think very soberly and very seriously if you think of the people that are hurt and pained and suffering tonight, and the children and the home and the godlessness. You won't think of this subject as unclean, nor will you think of it as unnecessary. You'll say, thank God somebody's at least trying to say something about this sin that's prevalent in our nation. And if God Almighty doesn't judge this world and this nation for the sexual immorality in our age, He'll have to raise up Sodom and Gomorrah and apologize for destroying it with fire and brimstone. for the same kind of awful sin. So I say when we think of this sin, don't think of just lasciviousness and sexual immorality. Think of the homes that are ruined, the children. And as we progress, if you'll think in that way, you won't have any problem making this a whole hour together tonight. I asked a lawyer friend of mine not too long ago when I was thinking about the seventh commandment, I said, in your opinion, how many divorces are connected with the seventh commandment, either in ignorance? Because some of the divorces are a result of ignorance of the duties of the seventh commandment, as well as the prohibition. And I said, how many divorces do you suppose are connected with either ignorance of the duties of the commandment, or violations of the commandment? And he said to me, I suppose I'd be Pretty accurate if I said 98% of the divorces are somewhere connected with the 7th commandment. Now that's pretty high, isn't it? I don't know if that lawyer was right or whether he wasn't. But I kind of believe he ought to know something because he observes these things. That's his business. Now, I want to ask you, but there's a little smoke I'd like to try to clear out of the way at the outset. And I want to ask you a question. Where did sex come from? Did you ever stop to think of that? Did you ask for it? Did you create it? And I want you to know at the very outset that the God who knows all, the God who is perfect in love, perfect in purity, perfect in holiness, He ordained it. Oh, don't be more pious than He is. Stronger than that, not only did God ordain it, but God commanded it. Did you ever realize that the very first commandment in your Bible is found in Genesis 1, verse 28? And it says this, Be fruitful and multiply. And if you can be fruitful and multiply without sex, you see me afterwards. I don't know anything about that. I ought to learn something about that. But the very first mandate of God's Holy Word is, be fruitful and multiply. It's commanded. It's not a sin. Sex is not a sin. It's nothing to be... And not only that, I want to add right at this point, not only sex is not a sin, but the desire for sex is not a sin. Because you didn't ask for either one. The desire for sex is not any more of a sin than the desire for food. You didn't ask for a desire for food, but you got it. It all came in the package. You got it. Didn't you? Now I say it's God's mandate. Genesis 1, 28. God created the need, a built-in desire. And God provided for that need just the same as He provided food for an appetite. Where do you think you got your appetite? Did you create your appetite for food while you didn't create it? That was built-in. And I want to say, not only did God create and build in the desire, but He also wrote the directions and the rules. He also wrote the directions and the rules. Now, we hear a lot about sex education in our best magazines. That's why I say to young people, oh, somebody said, well, I don't think I want to hear about that. I said, well, you're hearing about it whether you want to or not. The only thing you're not hearing about it is in the church. You're not hearing about it from worldly godly mothers, as you are. You're not hearing about it from godly preachers. You're not hearing about it from Bible-believing people who are interested in your soul, who believe in the world to come. You're hearing about it, not only through filthy literature, the sad part about our day, and which makes it a distinct difference of our day. Not that we always didn't have filthy literature, filthy pictures, filthy thoughts. We always had that. The big difference today is now we're hearing about it from sources that are respectable. Sources of high places. Not in some filthy kind of a way, but we're making some of the things sound respectable. A doctor friend of mine, a medical doctor, dear friend of mine, sent me four pages out of a magazine just this week. In fact, you probably get the magazine in your home. I don't get it, but it's not some filthy magazine. It's not too good. I'm not too obstructed on it, but it's a magazine that's acceptable, and I don't doubt it's in half the homes here, and I'm not speaking against the magazine. It's Look Magazine of 11-15-66. And it had in it the Sweden's new battle over sex. And I want to tell you, it was the top people in the nation. I'll quote some of them in a little while. The top people in the nation, in the educational realm and in the health realm. And there's not any mention of sin, there's no mention of results, even preachers. Totally silent. I want to quote a couple of those preachers after a while. So, and here the people, in the time of standards, they said, Christ is not mentioned in the whole article. Hell is not mentioned. Judgment is not mentioned. The authority of God's holy law is not mentioned. And it goes on to say, after ten years of compulsory sex education, that still the unwanted pregnancies and the venereal disease rate is higher than ever before. After ten years of compulsory sex education. Why is it? because they have no standards, even though they're respectable people, not Christians by any means, but respectable people. They have no standards, they have no authority, at all. For instance, the chief medical officer of Sweden, the chief medical officer of Sweden, on the Royal Board of Education, this is what he said, we're trying to find a moral principle that will be acceptable to everyone. The whole article is about sex. So they're trying to find a moral principle in the area of sex that will be acceptable to everyone, and he said there is one. And I thought, boy, he's going to say the Bible. You know what he said? He said, you don't hurt your neighbors. That's the principle. You don't hurt your neighbors. Reverend Storm, a Lutheran minister, in the same article, believes that young people should be helped, notice this, helped to make their own decision about sex. There are reasons for abstinence, but they are not as strong as they once were. Now, God's holy law has not changed in 1966 or in 1466. It hadn't changed in Iota. The holy command of God is, thou shalt not commit adultery. May I give you one more quote? Dr. Malcolm Twatty, the senior officer of the National Health Corps, the other fellow of the Educational Board. The senior officer of the National Health Board said this, which is better, for your daughters to sleep with an unknown boy under a fig tree, or for your daughters to sleep with a boy known to you in your own house? And if you were parents in this country, you would have to answer that question, implying that your daughter is going to sleep with somebody somewhere. And I don't have to go to Sweden for that. I got my hair cut the other week, and my barber, the fellow I've been talking to about Jesus Christ for years, tells me he's not even in the church. He's out of the church. Tells me about his son going steady with a girl, and he's upset he had to go to visit her parents because the parents allowed him to sleep together. And this fellow is not even... They were in a church, an evangelical church, the parents. Now this isn't hearsay, this is something that's happened to me. Now you're going to wonder why I think we ought to talk about it, and let me tell you. First of all, I believe in sex education because the Bible does. The Bible is full of instruction and education, and it's more than the birds and the bees, which is what most parents stop there if they go that far. And I say to you tonight, Christian, hear me. Every Christian should want set education. But three questions, please. Three questions, please. And this is the questions you ought to ask when you even think about education in this area. Number one, who's going to do the educating? Number two, what's the motive behind the education? And three, what's the standard for the education, what's right and what's wrong. Now if you approach it on that, and that's just the approach I want to take tonight. First of all, who's going to do the educating? Or maybe I should say, maybe I'll do it backwards. What's the motive for the education? To make sin more easy? The whole article that I just quoted, the whole article was to solve pregnancy problems, to solve venereal disease problems, no mention hardly, or they did say something about the moral problem, but that was so far down the line, and they didn't have any morals to begin with. So I say, what's the motive for the sex education? To make sin more easy? To encourage sin? I read an article in the same magazine months ago about two schools in Washington. One decided on some sex education, and the other didn't, and the one that formulated and put into practice sex education, they cut the illegitimate birth rate in 50%. They cut it in half the first year. But did they stop the sin against God Almighty? Did they stop the damage and the hurt to the neighbors and to themselves? They were demoted to assist people in sinning and running their lives, ruining their lives, running them to the ditch, both here and hereafter. Young people, hear me. There's a great text in the Bible, and I hope you hear me tonight in passing. It's Galatians chapter 6, verse 7 and 8. It says this. Be not deceived. Hear me tonight. Hear God's Word tonight. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. but he that soweth for the Spirit shall reap life everlasting. " And whatever you sow, whether it's in this area or other open rebellion against God. I live in a college town, and this year it seems all I've heard about was symposiums on the new morality. And I asked the question that I asked the radio man the other day, what's wrong with the old morality? I got a Bible here that sets morality as high as it can possibly set. High. There's nothing better than perfect. Is there anything better than perfect? This old David said, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Now when I have the highest, the purest, the most perfect morality you need, no debate. And I wouldn't think about even... I don't think a Christian ought to enter any debate about new morality. I think the fact that he even goes to debate the subject, he's already compromised, because there's no debate about it. There's no debate on whether it's morality. That's settled. It's not a debate. And a Christian has no business to debate the new morality. He has the morality of the Bible. What's wrong with the old? In the truth of all these things, they don't want better morality, but they want freedom from any morality. Freedom to sin and be comfortable in it. That's what they want. It's proved in my town. I don't know if you live near a college or not, but if you do, you'd see it proved. And I say, young people, hear me tonight, behind every one of God's thou shalt not There are two things, and if I didn't believe this, I'd quit preaching, or trying to preach, and I'd throw away my Bible. And it's not only this commandment, but every commandment in this Bible. Young people, behind every one of God's commandments are two things. One is His glory, but that's not all. The other thing is the good of man. You're good. You know when mother says to the little child, honey, don't touch the stove, it's hot, thou shalt not touch it. Behind that shalt not is a loving care and a loving concern of a mother's heart. And behind all of God's thou shalt not is not some mean old God that's trying to make life miserable, but behind thou shalt not is a loving God that cares for your life here. and hereafter. And before you complain about God's thou shalt not, you better stop and think. Behind that shalt not is a loving concern for your soul and your body and your marriage and your home. You want to see a beautiful home and a beautiful marriage? I'll show you one. Follow me to where somebody's kept the rules that God has laid down. Follow me to the home that knows something about God's principles and God's rules, and I'll show you a happy home, right tonight. Follow God. Take me there. Now, I said, yes, the first thing, the motive. We want to know the motive for the education. Why do we have all this business of sex education in our schools and in these articles? Not once have I found one article in the most decent magazine, Fair Reading Post or the Reader's Digesties, good magazine. Not once have I found where the pure motive is for the souls of men as well as their body. Not once have I found, or may be, not once do I find where the real concern is sin against the Holy God and sin against the clear revealed will of God. and the consequences of that awful sin. I haven't found that as a motive. Now, my motive tonight to talk about this is for your soul as well as your body. My motive is for your home and for your marriage. Not just to see that you can sin more and get away with it and have ease and comfort about it. Well, now the second thing, so much for the motive. I say you ought to be, as a Christian mother, You ought to be interested in sex education for your children, but you ought to want to know what's the motive behind it. Second thing you ought to want to know is who's going to do the educating. Who's going to do this educating? Will it be God-fearing, Bible-loving, holy, Christian men and women? or a bunch of godless, atheists, pseudo-sex specialists who have no standard of right, no standard of wrong, no standard of vice, no standard of virtue, no standard of sex, no standard of sanctity, then who's it going to be? I say, who's going to do it? If it's God-fearing people, God-loving people, then you ought to hear them, what they've got to say. I say to you tonight, with all seriousness, if there's no heaven, if there's no hell, if marriage means nothing, if the home and sanctity and chastity mean nothing, then their education's all right, and you and I ought to join them and help them. If there's no heaven, no hell, no judgment, if home and sanctity and marriage mean nothing, then we ought to join them and help them. But if there's a heaven and there's a hell, and the home means something, and sanctity means something, and marriage means something, we ought to start wanting to educate them from the Bible. Last year, one of the Univarsity people from Dickinson College talked to us, and they talked about going to this chaplain. He's away there now, thank God for that. But the young people would go to him with serious problems. They ought to be able to go to the chaplain. And you know what he'd tell them? He'd say, well, whatever feels right for you, I can't make her for you, because he had no standard. Talk about self-expression. No standard. Or he said, make your own standard. That was the essence of his counsel. Serious. He wasn't blaspheming. Well, he was blaspheming, but he wasn't doing it to be facetious. He wasn't doing it to be wise. He had no standard. He had nothing to appeal to. He had nothing to say, thus saith the Lord, because he'd already departed from the Bible. And that's why I say you ought to be interested in who's going to do it. Many of these sex educators are serious people. They're sincere. They just don't have those standards. They say some things that ought to make you and I as Christian parents, and Christian leaders in the church, and deacons and elders, they ought to challenge us. They say some things that are true. Let me give you a quote from another magazine. Not a bad magazine. The magazine is on your shelf today. This is a quote I got over. said this, behind every ignorant teenager is a shy or ignorant parent. Hear me tonight, parent. Behind every ignorant teenager is a shy or ignorant parent. And then it goes on to say, in the last 15 years we have lifted all forms of discipline and control and substituted nothing for them. We have given our children the keys to our cars. and money to use to go to motels. And if you stay at as many motels as I do, you'll see what I'm talking about. Money to go to motels. Meanwhile, mother and father are off working or golfing or playing bridge. Few are the rules about anything, including sex. That's a quote. I read about the public health officer, the health specialist in Washington, D.C., Ask a gathering of 624 educators to indicate whether they had first learned about sex from their parents. And not one of the 624 educators raised their hand. Now who is educating our children? Who educated you? Who educated me? Painfully to say, we couldn't say. But I want to say this. You're getting educated. Popular magazines, like the article I just quoted, if that's all they hear about sex, where the Bible was not mentioned, Christ was not mentioned, God's holy law was not mentioned, they take that as pretty authentic. So I say, who's educating your children? Popular magazines? TV? Hollywood? Godless professors and teachers? Un-Christian sex educators? These pseudo-sex peddlers? Or other teenagers? But let me tell you one thing, parents. You can be sure of this. They're getting educated. Don't be a fool, mother. Don't be a fool, father. They are being educated. And I want to tell you tonight, I believe with all my heart, that God never meant for such ignorance. I believe God is for sex education, or he wouldn't have put so much in the Bible about it. And the Bible's full of it. I'm going to remind you a little bit of it tonight. So I say, parents, be sure of one thing. Somebody's educating your children. They're getting the facts of life. There's only one sad thing about it. They're not getting all the facts, and they're not getting them straight. They're getting educated, yes, with a strange silence about God, education without God, sex education without God, without God's standards, without God's commandments, No warnings of the world to come. No warnings about the hell on this world that comes for people who violate God's whole commandment. But be sure of this. Parents, write this down. Write this down tonight. Take a minute or two of this, will you? Hear me on one thing. Your children are being educated right now! And you don't have to think that way until they get to their teens before they start to get educated. I tell you that. Young people, if your parents won't educate you, come to some godly pastor, go to your Sunday school teacher, go to somebody and ask them. Somebody that cares for your soul as well as your life and happiness here. But be sure to get it straight. Have the right motive. Be sure the person that talks to you about these holy things, be sure they have the right motive. Be sure you have the right teacher and be sure you have the right textbook. You'll save yourself many heartaches. That's why I asked the preacher to try to get the teenagers out tonight. You'll save yourself many heartaches if you hear of God on this holy season. But I say in the same breath, beware of pseudo-sex educators who do not tell you about the next world who do not tell you about hell, who do not tell you about broken hearts, and broken lives, and broken homes, and even broken pocketbooks. Solomon said in Proverbs, a man is brought to a piece of bread by a whorish woman. Not to mention the diseased bodies and the wrecked lives as a result of violation of this holy commandment. Now, I want to come back to Genesis, because I want to come back to Genesis 1, verse 28, because there's one thing more needs to be said, not only about the violation and the prohibition, but there's some duties. And I'm talking to parents now. I think one thing more needs to be said in connection with this verse. The Bible says, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. I think we can learn from this verse of scripture that sex is not evil, but it's the first mandate to the human race. I hope you remember that. Sex is not evil. The desire for sex is not evil. The fact is, if you never have it, the desire, there's something wrong with you. You're not normal. So the sex is not evil. The desire for sex is not evil. You ought to get these two things straight. So you don't get over-pious about what God is playing on. Now hear me tonight, mothers and fathers. I say first I learned from this verse that sex is not evil, but it's the first mandate to the human race. That is the first commandment. Now the second thing I want to say, and I want to say this plainly. From the rest of the Bible, it is clear that sex is not only for appropriation. That's Catholic, wicked, devilish. It causes a lot of problems. I say sex is not only for procreation. If you look with me, and this is, some of the divorces are because of ignorance, not the violation of ignorance. If you look with me in 1 Corinthians, and I'd like you to turn to this passage, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it, I just want to let you know it's in the Bible. If you look with me, 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, I want you to read, because apparently they had a question about sex. And I say, don't be more pious than God and don't apologize for what's in the Bible. Now, it's obvious that they were writing to the apostle to inquire something about sex, because here's his answer. He said, Now concerning the things whereunto I wrote unto you, it's good for a man not to touch a woman, nevertheless, verse 2, to avoid fornication, not only for procreation, nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife. and every woman have her own husband." Now listen to this. This is duty. "...let every husband render unto the wife due benevolence, and women likewise also the wife unto the husband." And he's so strict about it that he warns him about even not having relations without mutual agreement. He goes on to say, "...the wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband hath likewise also the husband hath not power over his body, but the wife." Now, this is the verse, "...defraud not," don't kid yourself, don't kid yourself, "...defraud not one another, except it be with consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer, and come together again. Why? That Satan tempts you not for your incontinence." Now, the Bible is not silent, and I want you to, I want you to give you that verse to let you know that the Bible is very clear that sex is for more than procreation. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 4 says this, and I'm reading from God's Holy Word, and since it's holy, I'm not bishing. God's Holy Word, Hebrews chapter 13 verse 4, it says this, Marriage is honorable in all. Marriage! Marriage! That's the rule. Marriage is honorable in all, in the dead, undefiled, but war mongers and adulterers God will judge. God will judge. Now it's obvious from that text that those people of Corinth wrote to the great apostle about sex and about sex advice and counsel. I say to you again by way of repetition, God created the appetite, God gave the mandate, God ordained and supplied the means for fulfilling the mandate and shows there's more than for procreation, it's for His glory, it's for our good. Just the same as food. Now let me tell you about, something about it. Just the same as food, God created an appetite. That baby of His was born with an appetite and it started to squawk as soon as it was born until you, until you satisfied that created desire for food. But God didn't bring babies into the world and just create that awful desire for food. He gave us milk and potatoes and bread and meat and so on to supply the needy. And not only is it to keep me alive, but there's pleasure and enjoyment in eating the right kind of food. But let me tell you about the abuses. Suppose a mother decides she's going to give her little baby Coca-Cola and fills a bottle instead of with milk. So it's a bottle of Coca-Cola. And she gives the Coca-Cola morning, noon, and night. That baby will die. Not because it's a sin to have an appetite. Not because she wasn't getting food, but it wasn't regulated. It wasn't in the proper way. Rules for food. Suppose I just started to eat pie for breakfast and pie for lunch. It would be food, and I'd be satisfied. I'd look worse than I do now, and it's getting bad enough as it is. Some of you ought to obey the rules a little bit on this thing. I believe it's to be controlled. I really do. Now, God gave me the appetite, but he didn't tell me to eat pie for breakfast, dinner, and supper. There's some rules about diet. There's some rules about food. That's why people are concerned that their children, while they're growing up, have a proper diet. Hey, little boy, that's why mama said, eat those peas on your plate. That's why I said it. You eat those peas. And that's why they say, eat that spinach. And you get mad and holler and scream. You know why? They love you. And they want to see it. Not only do they recognize you have a need for food, but the right kind of food. And there's some rules about it. Now the same thing is true about sex. The appetite's proper. But there's some rules. Young people, marriage is one of those rules. Sex is not a sin. Desire for sex is not a sin. God has ordained and given both the rules and instructions. And not only that, he's given in his blessed book examples, good examples. The Bible is full of good examples. I think a profound example of chastity is in Joseph. A profound example of the sense of the Bible demands for chastity. And you study Joseph, and you will see chastity in all danger written across the life of Joseph. And it ought to encourage you. Not that he wasn't tempted. You see, chastity in all its grandeur written across his life. Young people, you might get in some tight places just like that. And on the other hand, the Bible gives examples of chastity, the Bible gives bad examples too. Look at David, child of God. But I want to tell you something, don't do like Hollywood. They parade his sin with Bathsheba and tell the people about the sin and remind us that the Bible has it, it's in the Bible. But you know what they don't do? And you should never think about David's sin unless you turn to Psalm 51. And that's a long way back. Don't think he committed the sin one day and he wrote Psalm 51 the next. I got reason to believe that there was a period of time before that. Don't you ever think of David's sin without thinking of Psalm 51. You know what it says? Oh God, you read Psalm 51. I'm not going to quote it to you tonight. But don't think about David's sin while you see the consequences of it. Why are they there? Well, Romans 15.4 will tell you why they're there. This is why it's there. For whatsoever things are written aforetime, Romans 15.4, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope. They were written for our learning. Now I say again, God ordained the appetite of conjubial love. God provided and ordained the means for that satisfaction. Marriage. God gave the rules which make it holy, which make it healthy, which make it harmless. But don't forget the rules. He also gave the warning of sex sin. That's why God loves us so much. I believe that's one of the reasons why that God is so strong on mixed marriages. Why believers are not meant to marry unbelievers. Because the seventh commandment has to do with the home and marriage and sex is a small part of marriage, although it's an important part. But it's a small part of marriage. We are not only one flesh, but we're one mind, and we're one religion. I know cases right now, I'm counseling with two people right now, where their religious life is interfering with all of their life, including their sexual life. Religious differences affect sex life, the same as other differences affect sex life. You're not interested in sex when you're fighting all the time about religion or something else. Know how wise God was when he says, be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, as for our good and for his glory. Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers. God's concerned about your yacht life, young lady. God's concerned about your life, young man. God's concerned about your home. That's why he said he loves you. He's concerned about all of your life. Now, I'd just like to read tonight a few scriptures without comment. And I want to say a few, two more things. I'm going to let you go in about an hour. I want to read a few scriptures, because I said to you a while ago, the Bible has a lot to say about this. And I just want to read you, and I'm not even going to give you the references. If you want them afterwards, I'll give them to you. But I want to buzz down some references, and I just want to read them without much comment. Just from the Bible. I've got about eight of them, and I want you to hear them. But maybe before I read them, I should say this. Adultery without repentance damns the soul. 1 Corinthians 6-9 will tell you that. I say to you tonight, young people, the fire of lust will bring the fire of hell if it's not repented of. I say to you tonight, the harlot's breast will keep you from Abram's bosom. Don't forget that. Don't forget that. And I wonder tonight who would be foolish enough for a cup of pleasure to drink a sea of wrath. For a cup of pleasure to drink a sea of wrath. Many will do it, and they have done it. In Proverbs 9, 18 says this, Her ghastly speaking to the bad woman that says that her guests are in the depths of hell. Proverbs 7, 26. She hath cast down many wounded, yea, many strong men have been slain by her. And I say, few there are that are entangled in this sin of adultery that recover. Thank God for David and some more. But many do not recover. Now let me read you some of the Few of the threatenings and warnings contained in God's old book about this thing. Speaking plainly without compromise. Let me just start from... I just want to take from Genesis, and I've picked out a few, and I'll wind up in Revelation. But it's the whole through the Bible, but I'm going to start out with the ones in Exodus. Thou shalt not commit adultery. For this is a heinous crime. Yea, it is iniquity to be punished by the judges. Another one. For it is a fire that consumeth the destruction, and would root out all mine increase. By the means of a lowish woman, a man is brought to a piece of bread, and the adulterous will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his clothes and not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burned? So is he that goes into his neighbor's wife. Whoso toucheth her shall not be innocent. Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding. He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and a dishonor shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away. His reproach shall not be wiped away. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, Adulterers, effeminate, nor abusers themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God. But fornicators and all uncleanest, let it not once be named among you as become a saint, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know that no whoremonger, unclean person, hath any inheritance, in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you, O young people, let no man deceive you with vain words. Because of these things cometh the wrath of God on the children of disobedience. Be ye not partakers with them. Whoremongers shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. For without are whoremongers. Now, just a few words about the second commandment. The seventh commandment forbids three things, I want you to see. All acts of uncleanness, one. The seventh commandment forbids all fleshly lusts which produce these acts, three. The seventh commandment forbids all practices which produce these acts. And God warns us in his holy book by precepts by example, by judgment, both temporal, that's now, and eternal. I think even you young people could close your eyes tonight and think of the homes of your relatives, and think of the homes that tonight have great pain in them, great sorrow, children suffering, children being raised without a mother, children being raised without a father. All could trace its roots to God's holy commandments. And both these I want you to see tonight that this sin is connected with reprobation. And I want to give you a couple more scriptures. I want you to see that this sin that I'm talking about tonight is connected with reprobation. Would you turn in your Bibles to Romans? Incidentally, I don't think we're far from this here. Would you turn to Romans chapter 1, the very first chapter of the book of Romans? I've gone pretty fast tonight, but I wanted to cover a lot of territory. Romans chapter 1 talks about, in verse 18, it talks about the wrath of God being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Now, I want you to skip down to showing some of the sins as a result of this awful apostasy. Verse 24. Well, let me go back a little. Verse 21. Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened. Why? Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And what did they do? They changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like the corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. And what happened? Wherefore, I said reprobation, wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own heart, to dishonor their own body between themselves. God gave them up. That's reprobation. He didn't kill them right then. He gave them up. Let them alone! Verse 25. What did they do? "...who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever." Verse 26. Get it. "...for this cause God gave them up..." What to? "...God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women did not change..." "...for even their women did change the natural use..." into that which is against nature, verse 27. And likewise also the men, sexual immorality, that's all it is. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural youth of the woman, buried in their lust one toward another, men with men, working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of the heir which was made, verse 28. and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge." This is the verse I thought about when I read that article the doctor sent me. I thought about this verse because the whole thing was God-less, Christ-less, Church-less, Bible-less. And I thought of this verse. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to reprobate minds to do those things which were not convenient. being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, haters of God, and you keep on reading, and you have it. I say God gave them over. God gave them over to it. The other night we looked at the 10th commandment, we looked at the rich young ruler, because Our Lord Jesus Christ put his finger right on that man's sin. His sin was not adultery. His sin was his money. Tonight I want to remind you of another Bible character. And a great preacher of God's Word put his finger on his sin. And his sin was not money, but his sin was the seventh commandment. If you look with me, in closing, at Herod and John the Baptist, that faithful preacher, look at Mark chapter 6. for a minute, will you please? Talk about this one sin. Oh, it's not that we're not tempted and tried. Here's a man that made a peace treaty with us. Look at Mark chapter 6. Notice verse 20. You know, if we just read verse 20, we'd say Herod was a pretty good fellow. I want to tell you some good things about this man. You say, oh, he was just a wicked old man. Well, listen to this, verse 20. Herod feared John. You see it? knowing that he was a just man. So he had some respect for the preacher. And holy, he knew that John the Baptist was holy. And then I read, he observed him. So O'Hare observed the preacher. He knew him, he knew he was a just man, he knew he was holy, he observed him, and when he heard him, notice, he wasn't only a hearer of the word, it says, he did many things and heard him gladly. I hope you noticed those days as we looked at that verse. Herod heard him gladly, he observed him, he reverenced him, he feared him, he recognized him as just and holy and righteous, therefore he knew he was telling the truth. He was not only a hearer of the word, but the Bible said he did many things. He had one problem and it wasn't money. If you look at verse 18, your finest problem. John the Baptist put his finger on his spear. Herod did many things, but he wouldn't get rid of the woman. He was living in incest. He was married to a sin. John the Baptist faithfully said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. One sin. One sin unrepentant. One sin that you sign a peace treaty with. I don't care if it's your money, or adultery, or some other sin. But I say one sin that you sign a peace treaty with it. That's all you need. That's all we have right here. He made a peace treaty with his sin. He made a peace treaty with his sin. Now, I don't want to stop there. I don't want to tell you where Herod appeared in this scene again. This time, not before the preacher John the Baptist. This time, Herod appeared before Jesus Christ himself. This time, he appeared before Christ. And if you look at Luke 23, verse 8-9, you'll see a very sad commentary of a man who made a peace treaty with his sins. Oh, if you've got a sin and confess it and fight it and war against it, that's one thing. But if you sign a peace treaty with it, that's another. I want you to see this. Luke 23, verse 8-9. And when Herod saw Jesus, He was exceeding glad, for he was desirous to see him of a long season." Now here he is, when Herod saw Jesus, he was glad, for he desired to see him for a long season, because he had heard many things of him, and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by our Lord. And then I read this passage. And Herod questioned him in many words, but no decision. But he answered him nothing. The silence of Jesus Christ. I believe Herod was already reprobate when he turned his back on God's prophet who faithfully put his finger on his chin and he said, I'm married to it. He might be married to another sin. But I would remind you that it's an awful thing. The silence of Jesus Christ is an awful thing. You know, I read some sobering verses in the first chapter of Proverbs, and I'm going to read them to you tonight. You think this doesn't happen today? I believe there are a lot of people walking around reprobate. I believe there are people going to church every Sunday already reprobate, comfortable in their sin. Comfortable. Satisfied. They've signed it. The gospel rolls on and rolls off all in the same breath. They're satisfied. Doesn't affect them. No conviction. Not even bothered. Oh honey, if you're bothered about your sin, thank God. If your sin disturbs you, thank God. It's an awful thing when a man's conscience stops accusing him. I think that's silence of Christ before Paris. When I read that, and he answered him nothing. That's a sobering thought. And it reminded me of these verses in Proverbs, chapter 1, verse 24. Know what it says? It says, Because I have called, and you refused. I hope God's calling somebody this week. He says, Because I have called, you refused. I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. But ye have said it not, O my counsel." Didn't pay any attention to the warnings of adultery. You've said it not, O my counsel, you would none of my reproof. Notice what God says. I will also laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh, and it will come. Just be patient. If the fear hasn't come, it will. I will mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh on you as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you, then shall you call upon me, not in repentance, just to try to get Christ as a farescape or something. Then shall you call upon me, but I will not answer. They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me. Why? Why? Why? The next verse tells you, for they hated knowledge. and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of my counsel. They despised my reproof. Therefore shall they eat the fruit of their own way." And many a man, right tonight, November 1966, he's eating the fruit. He's eating the fruit. Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own ways, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them." I'm glad for the next verse. But, but, we are hearken unto God tonight. But whoso, but whoso, but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet in fear of evil. That's it. That's it. Old Bishop Layton said, there's some ways to fight this awful temptation. I'll remind you in closing tonight that this commandment has to do, this commandment that God has put in his book is designed to protect your daughter. It's designed to protect your mother. It's designed to protect your wife. It's designed to protect your sister. And it's for the good of man as well as the glory of God. It's because God's interested in your home. That's why this commandment's in the book. It's because God's interested in your home. And old Bishop Layton, the Archbishop of Glasgow, said, if you would be freed from the danger of this awful infertility of the sins of the Seventh Commandment, he said, make use of the following rules. And I'm going to give it to you. It'll only take me three minutes. I just want to give you the rules. free from the danger of the importunity of the sins of the seventh commandment. Make use of these rules suggested by that great old Archbishop of Glasgow. This is what he said. Young people and old as well, be sober and temperate in your diet. Withdraw the fuel. One. Two. Be modest and circumspect in your carriage. Guard your ears and your eyes. and wash over your deportment. Beware of undue and dangerous familiarities with any, upon whatever pretense, soever it is. 3. Be choice in your society, for there is much in that, said the old bishop. 4. In general, flee all occasions and incentives to uncleanness, including your reading. He didn't say that, I put that in there. In general, flee all the occasions and incentives to uncleanness, but the solid cure, here it is, must begin within, otherwise all outward remedies will fail. Then, because this is true, the solid cure must begin within. If you're here tonight on stage, hear the rest of this. Then, seek a total, entire change of heart, and find the sanctifying spirit of grace within you. labor to have a heart possessed with a deep apprehension of holiness and purity of God and veil of His presence and His eye upon all your actions and thoughts. Acquaint yourself with spiritual enjoyment. Acquaint yourself with spiritual enjoyment. Increase in the love of Christ. Alas, said the bishop, alas the misery which this sin here forbidden has produced. May God be pleased to sanctify my carpenter efforts tonight, to bear my heart and soul to you from God's Word. And I'm going to leave it with God in His Spirit. Let's stand and be dismissed. O Lord, you said, if the foundations be destroyed, what will the righteous do? And our Father tonight, many of us as thy people cry out, we see the foundations of the home being destroyed. We cry out with the psalmist, what shall the righteous do? O our Father, that's why we flee to thee in prayer. That's why we call upon thee to give us power and grace from within. We are not exempt, the strongest of us, we're not exempt from this awful temptation. this awful fall which could befall any one of us. And therefore we cast ourselves upon your mercy, therefore we cast ourselves upon your power, and ask you to give us more of thy Spirit. Engage us more in holy thought and holy living. Oh dear Lord tonight, help us to guard our eyes, and our ears, and our tongues, and our behavior, and our dress. Help us to guard all of these by the power of your Spirit. Oh, for these dear young people here tonight, Father, have mercy, have mercy, when even our schools, to some degree, have turned away from holy truth, have turned away from any standard. Oh, God, have mercy upon us. Send Thy Spirit to protect these who are young, and those who have not been saved, and do not have the power from within to fight. Oh, send Your Spirit to save them by Your grace. Bring them to a saving knowledge of our blessed Redeemer. O Lord Jesus, hear us as we call upon Thee. Come, come, we pray Thee. Send Thy Spirit to assist us. Lord, with all these our petitions, we would not forget, blessed Savior, to ask You to forgive us of our sins. O forgive us of every sin, in words, in deeds, in gestures, in thought. Here is for thy name's sake, amen.