Focus Verse: Prov 4:7 Lesson Verse: Mark 14:38
A. This Book is the direct revelation of God the Holy Spirit
B. It is not only for encouraging, but also warning, and chastening
C. Portrays the encounter, seduction, sin, and ultimate death of the victim of modern enlightened life!
D. Jesus commands His disciples to be watchful, and in prayer for the fortitude to stand against even the temptation of today!
A. The One Fundamental (7:1-5)
1. God’s commandments
a. God’s wisdom and understanding are revealed in His commandments
b. They are brilliant – not a throw-together of rules and regulations by egotistical fuddy-duddies
c. They are reasonable – they have reason behind every commandment, and make sense – it just takes some time, and self-wisdom to appreciate them!
2. We must memorize them (Ps 119:11) to benefit from them
3. We must love them – like we would a wife (Song 4:8-10), an aunt, or a sister. Why love them?
a. You can’t just obey them for very long blindly
b. Because the flesh and the world, and the devil will chip away until you give-in if you have no deeper reason why you are different
c. Because it will keep you out of trouble – away from something called, the strange woman
1) Truth #1 – Women are being used to destroy everything moral (I wouldn’t want to be USED by the devil!
2) Truth #2 – men don’t care (never have) - they like abuse of women! Think on THAT for a while!
3) Truth #3 – God has set boundaries for our benefit – we would do well to know the limits, and fear crossing them!
4. If anyone has a son, they know full well the necessity of teaching them that there are those things out in life that are DESIGNED to bring about his downfall – same with a young lady
5. This is NOT an attack on women – but rather on the looseness of men’s carefulness, and on the Feminist movement! AMEN!
6. This chapter is for the protection of our boys, our men, and our future!
B. The Strange Woman (7:5-21)
1. This woman is the primary subject of most every TV program – funny isn’t it? People hate this Book, and especially these two chapters (6 & 7), yet they are blatantly, and painfully true!
2. This woman is three things:
a. She is NOT your wife
b. Someone YOU DO NOT KNOW – she is strange to you – someone NOT what you would expect
1) Mysterious
2) Alluring
3) Exciting for some reason
c. Someone out to destroy you (see 7:22,23) – don’t be fooled! That is how the devil works (2 Cor 11:1-3)
3. Watch how she works – how she operates
a. She attracts careless young people – that is the focus of radio, and TV programmes and especially advertising
1) Targets people with no sense of priorities
2) Lack understanding – lived for the moment, following their heart – thinking they will always be ok!
3) Those who seek a bit of a “thrill” – this boy knows basically what he is walking into! He just doesn’t see the end!
b. She works in the night time – in darkness, when you can’t see clearly, and when others aren’t watching
c. She dresses to kill – super attractive
1) She has the attire of an harlot – so, there is a difference between what a godly woman wears, and what a harlot wears
a) Not godly clothing
b) Form fitting
c) Revealing – getting men’s attention where it doesn’t belong – that’s how things are tailored today!
d) Sending out a message – loud and CLEAR!
e) She wears specific clothing that lets the world know she is “available” to the highest bidder!
f) Men today LOOK for these things on women (CF Mt 5:27,28)
g) So also do WOMEN look to see if these things are present on women as well
2) Take a look at a comparison
|
|
Harlot |
Godly
Woman |
|
Face |
Full of Make-up |
No make up |
|
Figure |
Clearly shown off |
Not projected |
|
Attitude |
Two-Faced |
Consistently meek and Quiet |
|
Husband |
Away a long time – doesn’t dwell with her (1 Pet 3:7) |
Safely trusts her |
|
Parents |
No respect for them |
Honours them |
|
Clothes |
Revealing |
Modest (means ordinary, not fashionable, but not ugly on purpose either) |
|
Work |
Busy-body |
Hard working |
|
Home |
Out as much as possible |
Keepers at home |
|
Examples |
Jezebel Potiphar’s wife Rahab |
Mary Sarah Rebekah Prov 31 Woman |
|
Final Contrasts |
Attracting Attracting others Attracting the devil |
Reflecting Praising others Praising God |
3) This is what Pornography is all about
a) In “Homer’s Odyssey,” there is the story in that famous classic, and in that story, there is a certain island that is inhabited by these little sea creatures that they call sea nymphs. And the island was called the Island of Siren. And ships, the story goes, would go sailing near this island, and were pulled toward this island with a strong, compelling force. As that shipped was being pulled toward this island, these sea creatures and sea nymphs would begin to sing these songs that would captivate men’s attention. Not only captivate them, but would tempt them. These men, in listening to these songs, and the strong melody that would come off this island, would forget about their homes. They would forget about their wives. They would forget about their children. They would forget about everything that was dear to them, and they would jump overboard to get to this island, and their bodies were hauled by the sea upon the rocks, and the rocks would break their bodies all to pieces. It is said the bodies of these broken men were strewn up and down the shore, upon this island. They called it the price of yielding to the songs of Siren.
b) There is a Siren song in our society today that is pulling men. Listen, pornography in this country has so much power and so much pull, it is destroying and wrecking lives from the highest seat in our society, to the lowest in the streets.
c) Pornography has the power that promises forbidden love, hidden fun, unimaginable pleasures. Its melody and images leave men so close to the shores of destruction that they are jumping overboard and are being slung into the rocks of destruction. They are losing their lives. wives. homes. their children. their future. They are losing everything. They are losing it all to this thing called pornography.
d) Homer’s hero in the book found the way to avoid Siren’s song, and as his ship began to sail near that island, where so many others had lost their lives, he took his men and put wax in their ears. He had himself tied to the mast of the ship, so that the songs would not tear him loose to destroy his life like so many others.
e) The lure of pornography is coming into this country from every direction. It is coming in upon our lives, in our homes from every direction. There is not one place you can name that pornography does not have its tentacles into. It is coming in through the televisions. Pouring volumes of Hell’s sewers, right into the homes. It is coming in through music, glorifying the images of Rock music. It is coming in through advertisement.
f) Advertisement uses porn to sell its products.
g) Movies glamorize it.
h) It is coming in through the videos, where people can have their secret pleasures.
i) It is coming in through the telephone, so people can fill their ears with forbidden words.
j) It is coming in through the computers, so they can fill their eyes with the images of Hell.
k) It is coming in through the billboards.
l) It is coming in through the bookstores. Every bookstore you go in displays it.
m) It is coming in through the newspapers. They undress their world in our homes, even in the newspapers.
n) You can’t name one thing that pornography doesn’t have a hold of.
o) You better find more than wax to stick in your ears, to get away from this power.
(i) That wax, you better stick in your ears, better be the grace of God, because that is the only thing there is that is ever going to give you any hope of escape.
(ii) That mast you better tie yourself to is called the cross of Calvary, because that is the only thing that can defeat it. There is nothing else. There is not a program, or a medicine - There is nothing that can defeat pornography, outside of the grace of God.
p) Right thoughts are the best weapon against wicked imaginations (Philp 4:8)
4) She has a subtle heart – a deceptive heart – she is a professional liar. She has no love in her heart, just lies!
d. She is completely unreal
1) Makeup covers up her face
2) Outer beauty covers up inner darkness
3) Soft words cover up a loud and stubborn heart (as we shall see)
4) Undivided attention for her prey covers up her uncommitted nature to her man and her family!
5) But that is not how she is at home
a) Loud – yelling, demanding, boisterous, loud-mouthed
b) Stubborn – unyielding – only living for herself – argumentative, contrary (cf 1Sa 15:23)
c) Unhappy at home – she is married to a godly man (7:19,20)
d) Yet she seems to think she is “self-reliant” and her own woman – she is the devil’s puppet!
e) She, like so many others are at their “trade” even NOW!
e. She is out to catch her victim
1) She meets him “unexpectedly”
2) She talks about religion, and personal commitment to vows and to God
3) She says she has been looking for someone like him
4) She is affluent – a self-made woman
5) She is only seeking his companionship – so innocent. No need for his money
6) All she wants to do is fulfill his desires
7) She believes they both will help “comfort” each other in their life’s sorrows
8) She explains that her husband is:
a) Away on business – for a long time (VERY dangerous)
b) Very dependable and faithful
c) He will not return back home early
9) Finally, she “forces” him
a) Takes control
b) This is what the worldly man “wants” these days – someone NOT his wife to be in charge for a while!
C. The Results of Such Sin (7:22-27; Rom 6:23; Jam 1:15)
1. Slaughter – not a good, or even tolerable outcome. She kills her victims (she dies as well). But have you ever noticed what many of the novels, and TV serials are about – serial love murders!!! Strange!
2. Notice the mention of Liver disease – blood related diseases
a. VD, AIDS, HIV
b. All are related to the LIVER which ultimately gets overwhelmed trying to clean out the dirty blood products that come about by filthy lifestyles!
3. NO ONE can handle LUST (Go back to pr 6:27)
4. It will only end in ruin and death!!! This world is buying one of the biggest lies of all time – free love is harmless!
D. Applications
1. Obviously to adultery – the way we treat our husband or wife
2. Also Spiritual Adultery - the way we treat our relationship with God
a. The world system is out to get your and my attention AWAY from our spouse (God)
b. The world dolls itself up to the point where you almost CAN’T refuse
c. The world system never takes NO for an answer
d. The world system KILLS its victims!
E. God is not sitting idly by as this is going on – according to the next chapter, He sends out the only true competitor to sex, and that is Wisdom and Understanding – it is Truth, and BOY is SHE BEAUTIFUL!
F. There is hope!
G. For those who are held captive to sinful passions, there is hope! Finding one’s way out of the pit of habitual sexual sin is by no means an easy feat. However, there are two principles which will help the sexual idolater immensely.
H. First, since every illicit sexual encounter tightens the stranglehold on his life, he must do everything within his power to reduce and limit this activity. It is crucial that he brings his sin into the light by confessing to his wife, his pastor, or Christian brother who can hold him accountable.
I. Second, the person must learn to humble himself and bow down before the King in his heart. As he learns to do this, he will discover that there is a great power unleashed spiritually that will work for him instead of against him.
J. Worshipping the Lord “in spirit and truth” quenches the fire of lust and destroys the driving passion behind it.
II.
Conclusion and Study Questions
A. We need to be circumspect with what we watch on TV
B. We need to be aware that TV shows are not designed for our benefit, or for building up our homes – they are for entertainment, and are subtly destroying everything godly in our lives today
C. We need to repent of being lax in guarding our hearts, our eyes, and our thoughts
D. We need to repent of being casual ladies in how you dress
E. We need to be serious in our homes how we protect our testimonies
F. I’m calling for us all to repent of the slackness we have towards this most evil is wickedness in the church today!