Counting the Cost of Immorality
On Sunday, we studied the seventh commandment—“You shall not commit adultery”—and were reminded both of the beauty of sexual purity in our lives and relationships, and of the ugliness and devastation of sexual sin.
One of the ways God motivates us to pursue purity (whether married or single) is by warning us of the many consequences that come with sowing seeds of immorality. In the message we highlighted 13 of these consequences from God’s Word (sermon/sermon notes).
To build on that, I’d like to share a personalized list Pastor Randy Alcorn compiled and posted on his website. He created this list to remind himself and us of the extreme dangers of sexual sin:
Grieving my Lord; displeasing the One whose opinion most matters.
Dragging into the mud Christ’s sacred reputation.
Loss of reward and commendation from God.
Having to one day look Jesus in the face at the judgment seat and give an account of why I did it.
Forcing God to discipline me in various ways.
Following in the footsteps of men I know of whose immorality forfeited their ministry and caused me to shudder. List of these names:
Suffering of innocent people around me who would get hit by my shrapnel (a la Achan).
Untold hurt to Nanci, my best friend and loyal wife.
Loss of Nanci’s respect and trust.
Hurt to and loss of credibility with my beloved daughters, Karina and Angela. (“Why listen to a man who betrayed Mom and us?”)
If my blindness should continue or my family be unable to forgive, I could lose my wife and my children forever.
Shame to my family. (“Why isn’t Daddy a pastor anymore?”; the cruel comments of others who would invariably find out.)
Shame to my church family.
Shame and hurt to my fellow pastors and elders. List of names:
Shame and hurt to my friends, and especially those I’ve led to Christ and discipled. List of names:
Guilt awfully hard to shake—even though God would forgive me, would I forgive myself?
Plaguing memories and flashbacks that could taint future intimacy with my wife.
Disqualifying myself after having preached to others.
Surrender of the things I am called to and love to do—teach and preach and write and minister to others. Forfeiting forever certain opportunities to serve God. Years of training and experience in ministry wasted for a long period of time, maybe permanently.
Being haunted by my sin as I look in the eyes of others, and having it all dredged up again wherever I go and whatever I do.
Undermining the hard work and prayers of others by saying to our community “this is a hypocrite—who can take seriously anything he and his church have said and done?”
Laughter, rejoicing and blasphemous smugness by those who disrespect God and the church (2 Samuel 12:14).
Bringing great pleasure to Satan, the Enemy of God.
Heaping judgment and endless problems on the person I would have committed adultery with.
Possible diseases: gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes, and AIDS (pain, constant reminder to me and my wife, possible infection of Nanci, or in the case of AIDS, even causing her death, as well as mine.)
Possible pregnancy, with its personal and financial implications, including a lifelong reminder of sin to me and my family.
Loss of self-respect, discrediting my own name, and invoking shame and lifelong embarrassment upon myself.
God warns us: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). These sobering consequences serve as a gracious warning and a healthy fear that motivates us to desire purity and faithfulness in every part of life.
Pastor Jeff
P.S. You might want to read about the latest trends in a new Gallup Poll regarding moral issues in our country (Adultery, Cloning Still Seen as Most Immoral Behaviors)
“God forbids not only such theft and robbery as are punished by the magistrate, but He comprehends under the name of theft all wicked tricks and devices, whereby we design to appropriate to ourselves the goods which belong to our neighbor; whether it be by force, or under the appearance of right, as by unjust weights, ells, measures, fraudulent merchandise, false coins, usury, or by any means forbidden of God; likewise all covetousness, and the inordinate use and waste of His gifts’ and He requires ‘that I promote my neighbor’s good wherever I can and may, deal with him as I would have others deal with me, and labor faithfully, that I may be able to relieve the needy.”