Sermon Tone Analysis

For a message on what will happen to the nation that forsakes God's commands on marriage see: July 30 - Marrying in the Faith

I.

The forgiveness approach.

A. Some believe forgiveness completely wipes away the sin of adultery.

1.

They think this:

a.

They were previously qualified for the ministry.

b.

He sinned, then confessed and asked forgiveness.

c.

God forgave him, therefore we must also forgive him.

d.

Forgiveness involves a complete restoration to the former status.

2. Of the four points above, only the first three are correct.

a.

To say that a person is previously qualified for the ministry is looking into the past, and does not speak of the present, or the future.

b.

Whenever a person sins, they ought to ask God, and the humans they offended to forgive them.

c.

God always forgives sinners when they ask, and we ought to forgive sinners, even if they sin against us 70 times 7, Matt.

18:21,22.

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?

till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

d.

This is the point that is misunderstood: Forgiveness does not involve a complete restoration to the former status.

B. There is a difference between forgiveness and trust.

1.

We are the ones that grant forgiveness - they are the ones that earn trust.

a. Forgiveness is granted - trust is earned.

b.

The fallen minister should be forgiven, and taken back into the church with full fellowship and privileges.

1) Because he has lost the trust of the congregation, this trust will have to be gained before he can be a pastor again.

2) Of course, an adulterous pastor should not be restored again to pastoring, but there are many opportunities for ministering other than pastoring.

3) He cannot gain the trust of the congregation if he is not in the congregation.

4) Therefore moving away to another area or another church is not the answer.

c.

If we applied Matt.

18:22 to forgiveness and restoration, there would be no ministerial requirements of morality at all.

1) Matt.

18:22 is not talking about the sin of ministerial adultery, but about trespasses.

2) There is a difference between a sin and a trespass.

a) A person sins against God, and adultery is a sin against God - Ps. 51:4.

b) A trespass is between people and may involve a sin against God.

c) A very short study of these two words will easily reveal this distinction.

C. Heb.

13:4 - Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

1.

Does forgiveness stop the judgment of God against whoremongers and adulterers?

a. Forgiveness halts the spiritual judgment of God against sin, but does not stop the physical consequences of that sin.

1) Adam and his wife sinned in the Garden of Eden, casting the entire human race into total depravity.

Adam and his wife were saved in the Garden of Eden, having received forgiveness of sins, and a physical covering for their nakedness.

Forgiveness did not stop the penalty of sin from being played out in their lives.

They are both dead as a result of their rebellion against God.

Even after they were forgiven (saved) the physical consequences of sin (death) is still applicable.

2) Peter cursed Jesus Christ, but was forgiven of his cursing.

He went on to become a great leader of Christianity.

His sin of cursing follows him, just like our sins follow us.

3) A man is lost and kills his friend in a drunken rage.

He is saved after the murder, but his salvation does not stop the courts from prosecuting him, even pronouncing the death penalty against him.

4) An unmarried woman get pregnant.

She asks God to forgive her of fornication, and He does.

This does not stop the pregnancy.

She will deliver the child of her sin.

5) A person commits adultery, and is deeply convicted of his sin.

He asks God to forgive him and He does.

This doesn't wipe out the memory of sin for anybody, nor does it stop the penalty he will have to pay because of that sin.

6) A preacher commits adultery, and is deeply convicted of his sin.

He asks God to forgive him and He does.

This doesn't wipe out the memory of sin, nor does it stop any penalty he will have to pay because of that sin.

7) In all of the above circumstances God has forgiven the sin, but the status of the sinner is not the same as it was before they sinned.

8) The minister who commits adultery can and is forgiven of God when they ask.

This forgiveness, however, does not allow the sinner to return to the status they were in before they sinned.

9) There is such a thing as a pastor having a good report of them which are without, I Timothy 3:7.

2. Sin, even forgiven sin, is remembered as long as there are humans on the earth.

The memory of sin will not be removed until time ends and we all enter eternity.

a.

I Cor.

6:9-11 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Some of the Corinthians had been fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners.

1) They were no longer sinners of this magnitude, but their past followed them.

2) They were forgiven, but their past was remembered.

3) It is mentioned in the verses before us!

4) Even so with the adulterous pastor – after he is forgiven, the sin is still remembered by everybody.

b.

Heb.

11:31 - Rahab the harlot was saved from destruction when Jericho was destroyed because she had faith in God.

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

1) I believe Rahab stopped being a harlot a long time before the Jews got to Jericho.

2) Her past followed her even though God forgave her.

3) She was accepted into the Jewish nation, married Salmon (Matt.

1:5), who was the father of Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.

4) Please notice Hebrews 11:31 mentions that Rahab was a harlot, even after she was forgiven and accepted into the Jewish nation.

c.

II Sam.

11:4 - David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and God forgave his sin, when he asked.

Ps. 51:2,3.

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

1) David continued to have trouble in his family because of this terrible sin against God.

a) II Samuel 12:14 states, Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

b) Even after David was forgiven of adultery, there were physical consequences to be paid.

c) The physical consequences of the child having to die was not necessarily punishment for David, but justification for God.

d) David’s actions has caused God to be blasphemed in the eyes of the world, therefore God will remove the reason for blasphemy.