Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

“You shall not commit adultery.

• Exodus 20:14

“Q. 57. Which is the Seventh Commandment?
“A. The Seventh Commandment is, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Catechism (Scripture proofs in bold above)

“Q. 70. Which is the Seventh Commandment?
“A. The Seventh Commandment is, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

• The Shorter Catechism (Westminster Assembly)

“Q. 137. Which is the Seventh Commandment?
“A. The Seventh Commandment is, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

• The Larger Catechism (Westminster Assembly)

The Larger Catechism, Shorter Catechism and the Spurgeon Catechism are identical in wording.

Unlike the Sixth Commandment, of the Commandments versus the secular moral code (or lack thereof) this is commandments is under the fiercest of attacks.

All the commandments are under attack.  The secular world finds no need for a God, thus the first four are ignored in the secular world.  Oddly they curse and use God’s name in vain even more lustily as a taunt to a God that they do not believe in.

In a similar manner to the first four, the secular world, especially the radical “woke” crowd, redefine, seemingly on a daily basis, what mother and father mean.  But really, if the secular world can redefine parent (as noun and verb) out of existence, it eliminates the meaning of “God our Heavenly Father.”

And then sandwiched between two commandments that the secular world accepts, with provisions and exceptions (not murdering and not stealing), we find not committing adultery.

While not committing adultery might look simply as do not cheat on your wife, the Scriptures as a whole go far beyond that.  That will be the topic for next week.

But the end of Genesis 2 is that a man and a woman leave their parents and become married, and their flesh becomes one.

A famous figure talked about her husband fooling around, and she said that it was hard for two to become one flesh when there was three to start with.  I’m not giving the name here because I probably butchered what was said, but you get the picture.

The latest statistic that I have read on the subject is that the average age for initial sexual activity is thirteen years old.  Moving in together with no thought of marriage is a rising trend.  By the next census, if the trend holds, marriage will be rare under the age of 30-35.

Some think that with no license it is easy to split the blanket as they say, but the concept of common-law marriage is still in effect and lawsuits will abound over who provided the support that led to the wealth and possessions.  Not having a license makes the division of property and custody of children even messier.

I like a comment that Stephen McAlpine made in his book, Being the Good Bad Guys.  He said that he had a discussion with someone from the secular world who complained that Christians are obsessed with sex, always bringing it up in conversation.  Rev. McAlpine’s response was that the only reason Christians talk about sex is that the secular world keeps bringing it up.

Indeed, there are many Commandments, many rules beyond the commandments, that have nothing to do with sex, but sex is the battle on the forefront.

And I have heard one comment on Hard Questions (a panel discussion with five pastors, one as moderator on Cornerstone Television) a few times.  It is not being judgmental for a Christian to state that something is a sin.  It is a statement of fact, found in the Bible.

And now let us sing.

The following song is I Will Be Here as written and sung by Steven Curtis Chapman.  To be honest with you, when this song popped up as an often-used wedding song, I could think of no other song better for this commandment.  I will have to choose a different one next week, but that is next week.  I listened to this song often while reading the Steven Curtis Chapman biography, My Story, between Heaven and the Real World.  But in reading the lyrics and hearing the song, a few times to make sure the video is good and checking to make sure everything is ready to go, I just had to let the tears flow.  The wedding vows speak of “until death do we part,” but I cannot think of anyone here on earth that I would rather spend eternity with.  And with my wife gone now for over two months, each time I heard “I will be here” I thought that Jesus was now the only one left to fill that role.  And He was always there and is here.

“Tomorrow morning if you wake up,
And the sun does not appear
I, I will be here
If in the dark we lose sight of love,
Hold my hand, and have no fear
Cause I, I will be here
I will be here when you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind,
I will listen and
I will be here when the laughter turns to cryin’
Through the winning, losing and tryin’
We’ll be together ’cause I will be here
Tomorrow morning if you wake up,
And the future is unclear
I I will be here
As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetime’s are made for years
So, I I will be here
I will be here and you can cry on my shoulder,
When the mirror tells us we’re older,
I will hold you and
I will be here to watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here
I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me
I I will be here
And just as sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetime’s are made for years
So, I I will be here we’ll be together
I will be here”

• Steven Curtis Chapman, I Will Be Here

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need You.  As the song says, I made a promise to my wife and the One who gave her to me, that I would always be there for her.  Our marriage was not perfect, but people were genuinely shocked when we ever had a cross word toward each other in public.  And to be honest, we even showed how much we loved each other even in our arguments.  We always have You, but when You are within both spouses, You are part of each of us, separately and together.  Keep us strong, and for those like me who have lived beyond the lifespan of our spouse, give us strength and help us trust in You even more.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.