Jeremiah 3:20-21, "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. 21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God."

Introduction:

A. This Sin is one of the Greatest in the history of Israel and Judah.

B. It brought great Punishment from God.

C. An application to the Church is needful:

1. A Prevalent Sin of today.

2. Untrue and Unfaithfulness to Christ.

D. Worse than the Scarlet Sin is the Social world is the Spiritual Adultery being committed by those who are Married To God --- This Sin:

1. Renders the Individual Useless,

2. Robs the Church of its Power.

3. Damn Thousands of souls to Hell every year.

I. The Conditions That Leads To Spiritual Adultery:

A. No Fear of God.

Jeremiah 3:8, "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also."

B. A Lost Sense of Sin.

Jeremiah 3:9, "And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks."

Isaiah 5:20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

C. God's Word has a Lot To Say about Sin:

1. Sin Is Grievous.

Genesis 18:20, "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;"

2. Sin Separates.

Isaiah 59:1-2, "Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

3. Sin Is A Written Record That Leaves Its Mark.

Jeremiah 17:1, "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;"

4. Sin Is A Sum of Additions.

Isaiah 30:1, "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:"

5. Sin Is A Wage Earner.

Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Revelation 20:14-15, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

II. The Objects of Spiritual Adultery.

A. When a man is Married, he must No longer Flit with Other Women .....

Likewise, a person Jointed To God, must Not Flit with the Things of This World.

B. In the case of Judah, it was Stones and Stocks.

Jeremiah 3:9, "And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks."

C. In the case of the Church it is:

1. Pleasures.

2 Timothy 3:4, "Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;"

2. Programs.

2 Timothy 3:5, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

3. Possessions.

Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

III. The Treachery of Spiritual Adultery.

A. Judah was seeking to Deceive God with "Feigned" love.

Jeremiah 3:10, "And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD."

Isaiah 29:13, "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:"

Matthew 15:7-9, "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

B. Remember:

1. God Knows The Heart.

Luke 16:15, "And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."

2. God Knows Those Who Are His.

2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

C. Judah received the Greater Punishment because of her Hypocrisy.

Jeremiah 3:11, "And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah."

IV. The Lessons That Are To Be Learned From This.

A. God is a Jealous God.

Exodus 34:14, "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"

A Wife that loves her Husband Second Best has a Jealous husband --- and Rightly So .....

B. God is Not Deceived with Outward Pretenses of devotion.

1 Samuel 16:7, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

C. There is Severe Punishment for spiritual adultery.

Jeremiah 5:7, "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses." --- V. 9, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

D. Acknowledgment and Repentance of this sin will bring Forgiveness.

Jeremiah 3:12, "Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever."

The One Sin That Is Worse Than Spiritual Adultery Is The Spiritual Rejection of Jesus Christ As Your Lord And Savior.

A Search For The Truth

                                                                             

U.S. Navy Observatory Master Clock

Send Your Questions                  Comments Also Welcome
Return To Top                      Return To Home Page                      Return To Northgate B.C.