In his sermon titled 'Spiritual Adultery,' Mike Davenport explores the seventh commandment's call for purity and faithfulness, traditionally understood as a duty to love one's neighbor, and expands it to include spiritual relationships. He defines 'spiritual adultery' as living a double life, where believers pursue worldly desires alongside spiritual blessings. Throughout the sermon, Ezekiel 16 serves as a key text illustrating God's covenantal faithfulness and Israel's subsequent unfaithfulness. Davenport emphasizes the recurring theme of God's grace and mercy, highlighting Israel's forgetfulness of God's goodness as a root cause of their spiritual adultery. By drawing parallels between Israel and modern believers, Davenport warns against the dangers of spiritual unfaithfulness and reminds the congregation of the hope found in God's everlasting covenant. The sermon concludes with a call to return to God, encouraging listeners to embrace His mercy and grace, and to live faithfully as partakers in His covenant.

Well, there was reason behind me picking that song, and I hope it becomes evident. You know, so often we look at God's law and seek for our own righteousness in it much like the Jews did but what it does is it points us to the righteousness of God and what it does is it magnifies grace. Well we have been considering in recent weeks the seventh commandment, you shall not commit adultery. And at the very heart of the commandment, there are two things that this commandment brings us to time and time again. Purity and faithfulness.

That's what it's about. It's about purity and faithfulness. This commandment is found in the second table of the law and by nature of it being in the second table of the law, the main focus of the commandment is our duty to love our neighbor. That's how Christ defined it. However, there is biblical precedent laid down for us that should lead us to a consideration of this commandment in regard to spiritual relationships as well.

And so in the time before us I would like for us to consider the topic of spiritual adultery And that's the title of the message spiritual adultery Peter Masters in his book God's rules for holiness Helpfully defines spiritual adultery like this quote spiritual adultery today is the adultery of a double life in which believers maintain evangelical worship and serve the world at the same time. The spiritual adulterer is a person who desires the things of this world alongside spiritual blessings." End quote. Well we find God bringing the reality of spiritual adultery to the attention of his people in both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. And I could have us turn to many passages, however for the sake of time I would just ask you if you have your Bibles in front of you to turn to Ezekiel 16. Ezekiel 16.

The wording for the points that I want to direct our attention to come right off the page from this text, Ezekiel 16. I trust you are familiar with it. So point number One is made perfect through Jehovah's splendor. Made perfect through Jehovah's splendor. Consider with me and look with me at verse, the first 14 verses.

Again, the word of the Lord came to me saying, son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations and say, thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem, Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. As for your nativity, on the day you were born, your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you. You were not rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling clothes. No, I pitied you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you.

But you were thrown out into the open field when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born. And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your blood, in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, Live! Yes, I said to you in your blood live. Yes, I said to you in your blood live. I made you thrive like a plant in the field and you grew matured and became very beautiful.

Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare. When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love. So I spread my wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you and you became mine, says the Lord God. Then I washed you in water.

Yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin. I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck and I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver and your clothing was a fine linen silk and embroidered cloth.

You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through my splendor which I had bestowed on you says the Lord God. God opens up his charges against his people by reminding them of his own covenantal faithfulness. That's where he starts.

They knew it. He could have started right in with the charges. The backdrop of the blackness of his people's unfaithfulness is the whiteness. It's the beauty of his own purity, his own faithfulness, his own mercy. The unreasonableness of his people's actions becomes all the greater as we see what God had done for them.

Over the course of nine verses, God refers to himself in the singular plural, with the singular plural pronoun or singular pronoun I, first person the singular first person pronoun I I I he is the one at work he's the one at work and I think there are 15 times in those nine verses where he says, I. Note the words God uses to describe his mercy and graces in this passage. Verse 4, he cleansed. Verse 5, He pitied. Verse 5 again, he had compassion.

Verse 7, he caused to thrive. Verse 8, he looked upon. Verse 8 again, he spread his wings over and covered. Again in verse 8, he swore an oath and entered into covenant. Verse 9, he washed, he anointed.

Verse 10, he clothed. Verses 11 and 12, he adorned, bejeweled, and crowned. Verse 12, he fed. And then verse 14, he perfected beauty by the bestowing of his own splendor. And having done all of this for his people, he simply says, you became mine.

You became mine. My friend, do you know anything of the richness of this free grace? Have you tasted for yourself of the goodness of God? Is Christ precious to you as first Peter to claims him to be in the eyes of his people? Are you one called out of darkness into his marvelous light?

One who was not of God's people but now are part of God's people who had not obtained mercy but have now obtained mercy. Is Israel's story your own story? Do you know something of her background in your own background? But importantly, do you know something of her rescue in your own rescue? Well, next we see God's assessment of things, And that brings us to the second point, things that should not be or should not happen nor be.

Things that should not happen nor be. Verses 15 to 21, God's still speaking to Israel, but you trusted in your own beauty. He had made them beautiful with his own splendor, but you, you trusted in your own beauty. Played the harlot because of your fame and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. You took some of your garments and adorned multi-colored high places for yourself and played the harlot on them.

Such things should not happen Nor be you have also taken your beautiful jewelry from my gold and my silver Which I had given you and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them you took your embroidered garments and covered them and you set my oil and my incense before them also my food which I gave you the pastry of fine flour oil and honey which I fed you you said it before them as a sweet incense and so it was says the Lord God. Moreover you took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter that you have slain my children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire? Do you feel the darkness of these verses, the heinous nature of these actions, the un- the unreasonableness of this unfaithfulness? All of this unfolding against the backdrop of God's undeserving mercy and grace.

The darkness, that heinousness, that unreasonableness, it should grip us powerfully. Surely God's assessment should get an amen from our hearts If not our lips indeed as Jehovah states such things should not happen Such things should not be and we have to agree after all he had done for them. God's gifts of gold and silver now fashioned into idols for worship. God's gifts of garment, oil and incense now offered to those idols. God's gift of food now set before His rivals.

And even the blessing of offspring set in their midst by God the children who were They were to be taught the ways of jehovah in sweet family settings as you sit in your house As you walk in the way when you lie down when you rise up love the lord your god That's how these children were to be raised. But now these dear ones are offered as sacrifices to other gods. Such things should not happen. Such things should not be. Dear ones, we should not let the fact that God is here speaking to Israel, that he is speaking to old covenant Jews, we should not let that make us think that God is not speaking to us, nor should we think that we as new covenant people of God are incapable of such impurity and unfaithfulness.

Writing to the New Testament Church, Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 10, 6 through 12, speaking of Israel, now these things became our examples to the intent that we should not we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted and do not become idolaters as some as were some of them as it is written the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Now all these things happened to them as examples and they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Writing to the New Testament church, the apostle James writes in his epistle chapter 4 verses 4 and 5, remember he's writing to the church, Adulterers and adulteresses, that's how he addresses them. Adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever therefore wants, just simply wants to be a friend of the world, makes himself an enemy of God.

Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, the spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously? So as your heart stands naked and bare before the all-seeing eye of Almighty God, can he say of you at this very moment, such things should not happen, such things should not be. Are there areas in your life where there are impurities or unfaithfulness? Be honest with yourself. Don't be self-deceived.

Next, in the text, we see a costly forgetfulness, a costly forgetfulness. Verse 22, and in all your abomination and acts of harlotry, You did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood. You see, at the heart of their impurity and unfaithfulness was a failure to remember how God had found them, how undeserving they were, how merciful and gracious he had been. Dear ones, have you forgotten? Have you forgotten?

Have you lost a sense of wonder that you once had? I know you had it. Everybody who comes to the Christ, comes to Christ in that instant, they're amazed, they're amazed at the grace of God. Do you take His mercy and His forgiveness for granted? Have you stopped to consider where you would be at this very moment?

Had he not come and in mercy saved your soul Dear brothers and sisters heed the warning left for us in the song of Moses found in Deuteronomy thirty two fifteen to eighteen. Moses sang this for the good of the people, but Jeshurun grew fat and kicked. You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese. Then he forsook God who made him and scornfully esteemed the rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy with foreign gods, with abominations they provoked him to anger.

They sacrificed to demons not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear. Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful and have forgotten the God who fathered you." Well as if their actions outlined already were not enough, God goes on to state that after all this wickedness, the degeneracy of their heart is further revealed. He issues a double woe concerning them. So consider, fourthly, the waywardness of a degenerate heart, the waywardness of a degenerate heart. Verses 23 to 30.

That it was so after all your wickedness and he interrupts his own thoughts. Whoa, whoa to you says the Lord God that you also built for yourself a shrine and made a high place for yourself in every street. You built your high places at the head of every road and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by and multiplied your acts of harlotry. You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshy, fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke me to anger.

Behold, therefore I stretched out my hand against you, diminished your allotment and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. You also played the harlot with the Assyrians because you are insatiable. Indeed, you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. Moreover, you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader. And even then even then you were not satisfied how degenerate is your heart says the Lord God seeing you do all of these things the deeds of a brazen harlot You see how drunk were his people with the wine of the fornication of Jezebel, Babylon, You name it.

Drunk with the whine of the fornication of the world and as if what they had already done was not enough, Jehovah declares that his people increased, yet they multiplied the acts of their harlotry against him. He describes them as insatiable in their passion that no matter how far they went with their passions they were not satisfied. God has seen all of this played out. He has seen beyond their actions, their spiritual fornications and their adulteries. He declares to them, how degenerate is your heart, your heart.

Seeing you do all of these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot. Dear ones, I, your pastor, I do not know where you stand within your heart of hearts in terms of this application of the law of God. I do not know what goes on behind the walls of your house even less behind the curtains of your heart, But God does. God does. He knows.

And you know. Is there impurity in your heart? It's a soul-searching text. Is there impurity in your heart? Have you been unfaithful to the covenant that God made with you?

Have you forgotten how he found you? You know, my pastoral faults for you are the faults of Paul for no doubt all the churches, but certainly thoughts that he expressed to the church in Corinth there in 2 Corinthians 11. He begins this by saying, I am jealous for you with godly jealousy for I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ, your Christ bride. My desire for you is to be a chaste virgin on that last day when the marriage supper of the lamb comes about, when the bridegroom comes forth from his chamber, I want you to have oil in your lamps and be on the inside when that door is closed. Well, praise God, the chapter does not end with God's declaration of his people's unfaithfulness.

As we come to the end of this chapter, we come face to face with what was introduced to us at the beginning of this chapter, the marvelous mercy and grace of Jehovah. So the final point I want to draw your attention to is the everlasting covenant the everlasting Covenant versus 60 to 63 Nevertheless Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then, then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older and your younger sisters, for I will give them to you for daughters." He's talking about the surrounding nations. But not because of my covenant with you. And I will establish my covenant with you.

Then you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be ashamed and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame. When I provide you an atonement for all, for all you have done says the Lord God. After all that's been revealed, how surprising, how remarkable, How shocking is that one word. Nevertheless, nevertheless, it reminds me of that wonderful text in Ephesians 2 after describing how the people who were converted, where they were, just like the rest, but God. But God.

Praise God for that wonderful word, nevertheless. You see, his people had forgotten. They had forgotten. He had not forgotten. They were fickle.

They had forsaken him, but he had not forsaken them. Their love had faded. It had become fickle. His love was firm. I leave you with the final chapter of Hosea's prophecy.

I trust you are well aware of the theme of the book of Hosea and that you're able to appreciate yet another demonstration of God's mercy. Oh Israel, return. Return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him, take away all iniquity, receive us graciously, for we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.

A Syria shall not save us. We will not ride on horses, nor will we say any more to the work of our hands you are our gods for in you for in you O Lord the fatherless finds mercy and in this role this reply I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely for my anger has turned away from him. I will be like the dew to Israel. He shall grow like the lily and lengthen his roots like Lebanon. His branches shall spread.

His beauty shall be like an olive tree and his fragrance like Lebanon. Those who dwell under his shadow shall return, and they shall be revived like grain and grow like a vine. Their scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, what have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard and observed him.

I am like a green cypress tree. Your fruit is found in me. Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent?

Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right. The righteous walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. Dear ones, what a marvelous chapter. And even in the midst of Israel's unfaithfulness, God's mercy stands as we sang, grace that is greater than all our sins.

Go afresh to Christ. He's your husband. He will not turn a deaf ear to you. His covenant is an everlasting covenant. He's where you might have left him.

He hasn't gone. You've gone. Return to the shepherd and overseer of your souls, and taste of his mercy and his grace yet again. And if you're here and you can say, well, I've never had a relationship with Jesus. I've not committed spiritual adultery.

He's not my husband. My dear ones, you heard of the world and the fornication of the world, the fornication with the world system from Revelation. Babylon will be destroyed and all those who love her will go down with her. Come to Christ. He is a faithful husband.

He will take your feet out of the mirey clay and set you on a rock. He's a good God. He's a faithful God. He's a forgiving God. Judgment is his strange work.

He made himself known to Moses as a God of mercy, a God of grace, a long suffering God. Come and taste and see for yourself the goodness of our God. Let's pray. Oh gracious God, we pray that you would take your word and seal it to our hearts. Oh God, make us faithful like you are.

Help us to remember what you have saved us from and that you have declared, you are mine. And Lord, help us to return knowing that you will be faithful to forgive us our sins if we confess our sins to you. May none be lost. May none be like Demas who, having started so well, forsook Paul in the ministry of your gospel, having loved this present world, and he departed. Oh, Lord, like the psalmist in Psalm 119, search for me, the wandering sheep, and do not let me go astray.

We pray in Christ's holy name and for his sake. Amen. Amen. We are dismissed.