Sunday School Lesson October 4, 2020
Subject: Honor Marriage
The Point: Physical intimacy is reserved for one man and woman within the covenant of marriage.
The Passage: Exodus 20:14, 2 Samuel 11:1-5
Study The Bible: Exodus 20:14
1). Honor Marriage with Faithfulness and Purity.
- Do not commit adultery.
Lasting truths from Exodus 20:14
- God requires sexual purity.
- Adultery begins with lustful thoughts in the heart or mind.
- All sex outside of marriage is a violation of the divine covenant.
- Adulterers can experience forgiveness through repentance, faith, and God’s grace.
2 Samuel 11:1-3a.
2). Let Faithfulness and Purity Guard Your Thoughts
- In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.
- One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
3a. So David sent someone to inquire about her,
Lasting truths from 2 Samuel 11:1-3a.
- We cultivate purity and faithfulness by concentrating on the Lord and His goodness to us.
- We cultivate purity and faithfulness by focusing on our responsibilities instead of lapsing into idleness where our thoughts can easily become undisciplined.
- We cultivate purity and faithfulness by rejecting the delusion that we are in control and can halt our progression into sin whenever we choose.
- We cultivate purity and faithfulness by refusing to indulge in lustful thoughts.
3). Faithfulness Includes Honoring the Marriage Commitments of Others.
2 Samuel 11:3b-5
3b. and he said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hethite?”
- David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. Now she had just been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Afterward, she returned home.
- The woman conceived and sent word to inform David: “I am pregnant.”
Lasting truths from 2 Samuel 11:3b-5
- We need to avoid the appearance of evil from the outset.
- Our attempts to cover our sins often lead to more and greater evils.
- God forgives repentant sinners but temporal consequences often remain.
- We need to honor the marriage commitments of others as well as our own.
Live It Out
As you reflect on this session, respond to the following questions.
- How do you think Billy and Ruth Graham guarded against temptations to adultery? What can you learn from their example about how to have a lasting marriage?
- Remembering that adultery begins in the heart, what forms do you think temptations to adultery take in our society?
- What are some ways you can guard against lustful thoughts as well as against acts of adultery?
- List some practical ways to demonstrate that you honor others’ marriage commitments?
Closing Prayer:
“Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and rose from the dead to give me new life. I’m sorry for all the wrong I’ve done and ask You to forgive me. I now accept Your gift of eternal life. Thank You for Your love, forgiveness, and a new life in Jesus Christ. From this day forward, I choose to follow You, In Jesus’ name, Amen”