The Seventh Commandment: What's Your's is Mine

Romantic Comedies: If you are a husband, you know the feeling. You and your wife finally have the evening alone, and you decide to watch a movie together. And maybe you recommend the latest Avengers movie, or the latest stupid comedy, or maybe something deep and provocative. And inevitably, somehow you somehow end up watching a romantic comedy with your wife. And there is no way you would ever admit it to your wife, but there might be something deep down inside of you which actually kind of enjoys it. Why is that? It’s because this law, like all the other laws in the 10 Commandments, is an acquaintance: it tells us somethign that is true of all people everywhere. And that is this: there is something about romance that speaks to the deepest and truest part of the person. And we believe that is because God created us in his image, and therefore, this is actually a good thing. In fact, far from the stereotype of Christianity, Christians are actually perhaps the deepest romantics.

Harry Blamires: Half a century ago, Harry Blamires wrote, “(Christianity)... must be presented... as something more exciting than a lot of prohibitions aimed at disinfecting life of its torrential delights… If the Christian faith is not shown to touch the young at the points of profoundest personal longing and joy, it will indeed be condemned by the sensitive adolescent as being unrelated to real life.”

Exposition of the Law

Thou shalt not commit adultery: So this law starts off with a clear commandment, that God says, “You will not commit adultery.” Now, the question is, what does “adultery” mean? Well, essentially, adultery is sexuality indulged outside of marriage. Now, the reason for this is because God has given sexuality as a gift to help seal the bond of marriage. That every time a married couple has intercourse, they are “recovenanting” together with one another.

Building a healthy marriage: So when Moses gives this commandment, he is talking about a lot more than our physical urge. Moses is talking about having and cultivating a “healthy marriage,” or a marriage where a couple grows more and more intimate with one another, and they model this covenant that they have made with one another in ever more unique ways. And as they grow more intimate, they are solidifying their marriage bond so that it is rock solid.

God betroths himself to his people: So why is this? Why is marriage so important? Why is it so important for a couple to grow more and more intimate, to build this rock solid marriage bond? Because as they do this, they are dramatizing something that is bigger than themselves. They are dramatizing the truth of the gospel, that God has betrothed himself to his people in Christ. God has pledged himself to his people through Jesus Christ. You see, very often, the relationship that God has with his people is portrayed as a marriage ().

This is a community project: One of the greatest misunderstandings we could have of this was that this was up to the two couples. Rather, it is actually for the whole church (). The whole church is supposed to support, uphold, and encourage young couples. Once again we see, that if a young couple is not going to church, if a young couple is not committed to the regular gathering with God’s people, then they cannot keep this God’s way. That you need those sitting around you to help your marriage, and those sitting around you need you to help them.

Protect this marriage from the outside: So what this implies is that we learn to set clear boundaries from the outside. We learn to

Marriage has its limits: Now, I think to really understand the joy of marriage, we have to understand Scripture’s teaching on marriage's limits. While I believe that if you and your spouse are both Christians, you will enjoy deep relationships wiht each other forever, but marriage is only this side of heaven. And that’s not because heaven is lame, but rather, because just like a picture of the Grand Canyon can’t do full justice to the majesty and grandeur of the actual thing, so marriage just cannot do justice to the majesty and grandeur of heaven. ANd while a picture of the Grand Canyon is great when you live thousands of miles away, when you’re at the Grand Canyon, it’s not necessary. In the same way, while marriage is wonderful this side of heaven, what we will experience in the presence of Jesus makes marriage pale in comparison. ()

Protecting this marriage from the inside

SHCC Statement of Faith

What is Marriage? Marriage is a unique display of the gospel in a loving, covenant union of one man and one woman. God gave sexual intercourse to this union alone; anything else is a deviation from God’s design for sexuality and marriage alike. (; ; -33)

Law as Enemy

Sexuality Outside of Marriage: Sex with someone you’re not married to

Homosexuality

Polyamory

Open Marriages

Cohabitation

Casual Sex

Lust in the heart ()

Pornography

Having sex with

Fantasy

Failing to protect marriage from the outside ()

Allowing other relationships to pull us away from our spouse

Emotional Affair

Lust in the heart ()

Interfering in others’ marriages

Failing to build my marriage

Lust in the heart ()

Wives rather than submitting to, undercutting your husband

Pornography

Husbands, rather than sacrificing for, demanding from your wives

Fantasy

Emotional Affair

Christ

Christ redeems sexuality (). Christ almost certainly would have been crucified without clothes.

Marriage of the Lamb

Law as Friend

Married couples

Protect this from the outside

Protect this from the inside ()

Husbands: Sacrifice, take the initiative

Wives: Submit, trust

Cover with an abundance of forgiveness and love

Widows/Widowers

Other couples need you

Not Yet marrieds

Your married friends need you

Marriage won’t solve all your problems

Don’t awaken love too early ()

God

Conclusion: Hosea

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