Dangerous Affairs

Far too many people think that they can pursue an immoral lifestyle without consequence. There is no such thing as safe sex outside of marriage by going to an area of the ocean where sharks have been cited and riptide observed in hammering up assignment says safe swimming going to be a drainage ditch next to an industrial plant in posting a sign that says safe drinking water might not get a disease you might avoid getting caught.

What does that make it safe not in God's eyes.

It doesn't. Welcome to this Friday addition of wisdom for the hard with Stephen Devi today Stephen continues a series he's been working through out of the book of Proverbs called the quest for hidden treasure. Today's lesson looks at what God's word has to say about sexual purity and the temptation toward impurity, morality may be on the decline in our culture, but we know that God's word is not changed. Today's lesson is called dangerous affairs here.

Stephen, three men were driving home after spending an evening at a bowling alley just outside Tampa, Florida. Kevin was driving his white Camaro's friend Randall was in the backseat and another friend Brian was writing the front passenger's seat even though it was dark. They knew they had the right-of-way as they drove through an intersection on Kaysville Road where they assumed they had the right-of-way since there was no stop sign visible at that intersection. The trouble was the stop sign had been stolen earlier as a prank calls, traffic congestion and about this time to time. Mack truck approaching the intersection thought he had the right-of-way as well because his stop sign was missing the collision.

That intersection could be heard blocks away all three young men Camaro instantly killed an investigation of followed and some young men were caught, who admitted to stealing dozens of street signs and dumping them outside. I happen to believe it, that in our world there is another road sign being removed from landscape is another kind of stuck there being removed at alarming speeds and with equally alarming results. Casualties are literally everywhere, frankly, put our culture has removed the stop signs whenever and wherever sexual issues are counted out.

What's worse to me is that the stop signs have been replaced with signs that say speed or congratulations for not stopping signs.

Our culture has no label sexual behavior outside of marriage as alternative lifestyles or legal acts between consenting adults or rites of passage or you know people or boys will be boys. Our generation is even come up with a word that they have attached to the sign it now says safe and they have attributed the word say to sex outside of marriage. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no such thing as safe sex outside of marriage that's like going to an area of the ocean where sharks have been cited and riptide observed in hammering up assignment says safe swimming going to the edge of a drainage ditch next to an industrial plant in posting a sign that says safe drinking water is no such thing as safe sin.

I have been challenged by the writing one offer the gates of powerful warnings about promiscuity before marriage and infidelity after marriage fact, he speaks pointedly because it comes out is on past home life seen what it had done to his own dad when his dad failed had an affair. Fact is that he got involved with the wife of one of his employees. He had sort of pushed his way around is the boss. She willingly went went along thinking that this just might boost her career when she became pregnant. The serious end of this boys dad didn't want anybody to find out run at the office could ruin his career in the business world. So he swore her to secrecy and then without her knowing about it had one of his security detail.

Make sure her husband didn't make it home from work alive. His dad would later marry this woman in this offer happened to be their second child. His name was Solomon.

He learned firsthand of the devastation he had learned of his father's cover-up. In fact, he would tragically follow a similar path to utter ruin. However, while he was still pursuing integrity and he was searching for the hidden treasure of wisdom he collected Proverbs that over and over again worn immorality, and he will deliver them to his own self by virtue of God's inspiring decree to every one of Boston's well seems to me that Solomon was troubled by stolen stop signs you not occurred to me as I study these Proverbs that this is the only subject. The only subject that Solomon devotes to entire chapters portions of other check in broad terms of the word fornication Greek word is tornado gives us our word. Ironically enough porn is illicit sexual activity often translated the Scriptures morality translated at times, adultery or fornication throughout the Scriptures. The believer is consistently worn by Paul wrote to the Corinthians. The body is not meant for sexual immorality is meant for the Lord and the Lord for the body for 2613 writes later in verse 18 flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin. A person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Did you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you. You have from God or not your own boss. Remember, with the dowry price.

So glorify God in your body. Solomon will tell us what it means to sin against yourself and will explain the pole men living color to take you. I was in turn Proverbs chapter 5, five, six, and seven portions of them in Proverbs chapter 5 verse one.

So, my son, be attentive to my wisdom. Incline your ear to my understanding that you may keep discretion in your lips make guard knowledge that he will begin to deliver to us in stages.

What this collision will look like in the first stage is simply the word the light.

It starts with delight notice for the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil the word by the way, for a forbidden here might be translated in your version translation for or strain.

Solomon is using the word refers to a woman quote not related to foreign to you, sense of merit about numbers. She is in this man's wife not turn over the chapter 7 listen to Solomon watching the man race for this intersection, ignoring God's warning signs. Diverse verse six for at the window of my house. I have looked out for the last. I have seen among the simple perceived among the youths young man lacking sense is passing along the street near her corner taking the road to her house in the twilight in the evening.

At the time of night darkness, behold, the woman meets him dressed as a prostitute while he of heart she's allowed way word her feet do not stay at home. Now the street.

Now the market and at every corner she lies in wait seizes him and kisses him and with both face says to him I had offer sacrifices and today I have paid my foul. So now I've come out to meet to seek you eagerly and I have found Jesus. Further, in verse 16.

I have spread my couch with coverings color linens from Egyptian linen. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh was in cinnamon see what she's doing is portraying herself to this man as if she were clean and you know she's not some lowlife she's never the wrong side of the tracks.

She's wealthy. She's connected, she's industrious, she's sophisticated. She's even religiously minded. Did you notice back in verse 14 where she said I with all my sacrifices and my valves religious girl and she's not just ready verse 15, so she waited for this guy.

Not just any guy flatters, and she says effectively. I have been looking all over just for you.

You are the one working of my love people involved in this kind of sin have convinced themselves and each other that they are worth more than perhaps their spouse can see the person they are with someone who can truly appreciate the trouble is the foundation for true appreciation is integrity and trust truth which means they have become involved in something that is destined for disappointment because it lacks trust and truth listen to some statistics from a study of men who were involved in an adulterous relationship and refuse to repent because of it. They left their spouse. These men in this particular survey were interviewed 10 years after their relationship or family breakup of their home. 33% were intensely angry with life in general. 50% ended up divorced again. Most of them from the woman they could believe was the answer to all the problem. 80% experienced the same or lower quality of life financially 50% under the age of 50 were unhappily remarried 66% over the age of 50 were unhappily married.

Listen to this.

80% of these men whose names remained anonymous admitted that they would remarry their former lives and regain what they lost. If they only had the chance 80%. It began with with delight. It's all honey, it's all sweetness and adjust drips delight. The second stage is reached soon enough, the light turns to discuss chapter 5 verse three for the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey. Her speech is smoother than oil bath in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharpest two-edged sword to cut you coming and going. In other words, the taste of honey now is replaced with the taste of wormwood. I had to dig around for that. It happens to be a small flowering bush in Palestine from which a bigger drink was made warmers be commenting on this text wrote Solomon is suggesting here that the wise person checks out the destination before he purchases a ticket delight turns to disgust and then discuss three digresses to dishonor. Look at verse eight. Chapter 5 Keep Your Way far from her. Do not go near the door of the house, lest you give your honor to others in your years to the merciless lest strangers filled their houses with your strength and your labors go to the house of a stranger.

What a perfect description of aloe is that what a vivid description of the frustration brought up as it perhaps is not even yours perhaps for you it is your spouse's sin and you struggle with the Lord over the frustration that now that the years and your labor and your money go to somebody else's bank account to you. I would encourage you remember one day God will finish the books settle the account you keep doing this right, but to the one considering adultery.

Solomon writes look over chapter 6 quickly look at verse 27 Jesus command carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not being burned skip out of her 33rd, people getting wounds and dishonor in his disgrace will not be wiped away. In other words, the confession and forgiveness are always possible for the truly repentant the consequences will be felt for a lifetime in the lives of men and women, children, families, door the last thing affects betrayal and sin.

This is the bad news that has to be stated especially to warm the generation coming behind us forgiven you. There is a lasting, lingering effects of betrayal, sin and rebellion the lives of those who will say I will ignore sign. These are dangerous affairs delight turns to discuss discuss digresses to dishonor dishonor leads to disaster. The Fibers 11. Solomon is telling his son advised he will not follow himself eventually look at what you write and at the end of your life you grown when your flash your body are consumed. He just lays it out for doesn't pull any punch that Solomon is implicating the presence of sexually transmitted diseases.

Most believe Old Testament scholars reflash in your body are consumed. Solomon is in writing a commercial is not. After a box office hit. He's telling the truth. Sexual sin is a harvest of decay and loss and he will highlight in these verses. Several losses there is the first one here that we could just read there's a loss potentially of health, your flesh is consumed. Josh McDowell writes in his work more than 4000 teenagers contract a sexually transmitted disease every day 4000.

In fact, while the world pushes the rights for different forms of protection the Minnesota Institute of Public health has reported that there are now 21 sexually transmitted diseases which are not prevented by contraception. Now more than 25 million Americans. He writes suffer from genital herpes, which is an incurable disease 300,000 people contract hepatitis B every year causing permanent liver damage and resulting in the deaths.

Listen the deaths of at least 13 people in America every day, from what were watching in the world is applauding and more marketing to another generation and we are the words say Bruce Wilkie added this in his commentary on this text.

The statistic from the United States public health services Center for disease control and I quote a new sexually transmitted infection is diagnosed in our country every 45 seconds and in its wake.

The pain, blindness, arthritis, infertility, brain damage or disease and death. Wilkie writes further in spite of half a century of penicillin and wonder drugs, millions of people are contracting new generations of disease including incurable strains of herpes which has been linked to cervical cancer and can be passed on to newborn babies. When we hear about this because we live in a culture that would rather remove the stop signs and enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season and subject themselves to the moral law of God, there is the potential loss of health. Secondly, he writes in chapter 6, verse 35 there is a loss of of wealth just ready to try to bail yourself out speaks of this money was caught in his adultery that her husband will accept no compensation. He will refuse though you multiply this is a broader issue or subject read one study that found 73% of women who left their spouses for another man reported experiencing a lower standard of living. The most expensive costly. The most destructive dangerous thing in the world is immorality in any and every form delight turns to discuss discuss digresses to dishonor dishonor leads to disaster. And that is bad enough. Five. In this exposure of dangerous affairs. Solomon uncovers disaster leads to despair.

Just listen to despair coming from the lips of someone who now knows the consequences of his is dangerous affairs of chapter 512.

Your essay how I hated discipline, that is, the guidelines of God. My heart despised reproof I did not listen to the voice of my teacher or incline my ear to two of my instructors.

I am at the brink of ruin in the assembled congregation.

Did you catch that this person is part of God's assembly. He is in the midst of God's people.

He is however a prodigal who is now wishing he had never left spiritual spiritual phone Solomon says, look there there there are signs here, you better begins his illustration. By the way, this dangerous affair. Chapter 7 go to the end of the chapter.

Chapter 7 verse 24 says analysand listen to me, be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside her ways strains were paths for many of victim as she laid low in all her slain arm might. He uses battle terminology for the casualties of war and hold anything back. Many are her slain. Let me clarify before we wrap up this study with a few warnings for men and women. Number one, don't justify little compromises as innocent dangerous affairs.

Don't begin in a bedroom. They begin a board copy room backyard. They begin at the baseball field at the YMCA for the gym it don't justify little compromises there because that's where the battle starts. Number two.

Don't just plan to fight the battles when they become really dangerous. It's probably too late, fight the skirmishes early in your mind the best place to stop is early on think it's already dangerous if you are now sitting here recognizing your own life and heart that you are putting it off somewhere already. Number three.

Don't assume you are above and beyond any temptation. Don't allow yourself to say nothing like this will ever happen to me that's not a problem for me. Something like this is really all that wrong.

I can stop whenever I want. Don't fool yourself into believing what I have heard people say over and over again to me were not hurting anybody. Yes, you are there is a financial cost. A physical cost and emotional cost spiritual cost, a character cost a future cost. You are deeply hurting yourself, you are sinning against their own body and others. Sin happens the cost more than we can imagine what author said sin will cost you more than you wanted to pay.

It will take away more than you ever plan to give, and it will lead you further than you ever wanted to go before stay away from anywhere and anything where you would not want to be caught or seen Stan running just let that little voice in the back of your head. The wonderful guide when it whispers she will belong here. This party is not for you. You don't belong on this Internet site work in this chat room consider God's warning signal is saying to you, you need to clear out number five. Force yourself to be honest when temptation knocks. Be honest when temptation knocks and ask Christ to answer the door. Listen the power of temptation is in the pleasure of what temptation offers. If stolen waters were sweet. Proverbs 970 nobody would steal the water.

Nobody would want to stolen water suite in the enemy of your soul knows Jesus Christ lives in the apartment of your heart that he still send people over and knocked on the door. They show up at the pizza delivered at 8 o'clock at night, worst time in your diet. 8 o'clock at night when you are starving and the doorbell rings and he's come to the wrong house and you tackle in a world of real spiritual temptation send the Lord to answer the door. Let him respond, you say effectively. Lord, I can respond that you have to do that but I can handle that. You're gonna need to do that from 11. Stay alert at all times. Just stay alert don't justify little compromises and don't just plan to fight the battles when they become dangerous. Don't assume you are above or beyond any temptation stay away from anywhere and anything where in your heart would call or seen.

Force yourself to be honest when temptation knocks and ask Christ to answer the door and stay alert at all times while renting to make sure we don't take down stop signs that God put up. He put them up for a reason for our health and our hope and our joy and our progress in our safe, leave them where they are and ask God to help you pay attention every time you see one travel along the roadway of your life.

Temptation is everywhere and there's no end to the opportunities we have to ignore God's word and pursue the desires of the flesh, but I hope that this reminder from God's word will encourage you today and for all of us.

I hope today's lesson will remind us of the importance of pursuing godliness and forsaking immorality.

You're listening to wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi. Stephen is the pastor teacher of colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina. If you're unable to join your church on Sunday. Stephen broadcast live each Sunday morning and you can join us for worship online.

There's information about that on our website. Wisdom online.org the lesson you heard today was called dangerous affairs and it comes from the series entitled the quest for hidden treasure. It's a series from the book of Proverbs on living wisely. This was the last lesson in the series, so I'll mention that we've taken all 10 of the lessons and bound them as a set of CDs. If you'd like. This series for your library of biblical resources. Call us and we can help you are number is 86 648 Bible we'd love to hear how this ministry is blessing you are many ways you can reach us. But if you like to write cards or letters. Our address is wisdom for the hearts. PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 27627 I'll repeat that for you. It's wisdom for the hearts.

PO Box 37297, Raleigh, NC 27627. It would mean a lot to get a note of encouragement. My name Scott Wiley and I thank you for listening today will be back next week. Stephen will be in a series from Romans one right here on wisdom for the heart