714. Job chapter 31. We'll be reading verses 9 through 12. Job 31. verses 9 through 12, page 714. Hear now the word of God. If my heart has been enticed by a woman or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, then let my wife grind for another and let others bow down over her. For that would be wickedness. Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction and would root out all my increase. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, today we're dealing with a very serious topic. And it has to do, of course, as we've been talking about, the Seventh Commandment, thou shalt not commit adultery. And today, we are going to consider that the civil magistrate, the civil government, has a positive duty to uphold the Seventh Commandment. The civil magistrate has a positive duty to uphold the Seventh Commandment. Now, we've just had an election or several elections in the last couple of months or so. And when we have elections, we often should consider what exactly is the purpose of the civil government. What's the point? Why do you elect one person rather than another, for example? Well, first of all, the civil government is to preserve civil society from chaos and to do so by means of justice and protection, by means of justice and protection. Foreign or domestic enemies, right? So foreign enemies protecting us in terms of the army and so forth, justice in terms of the administration of justice in the courts. The rulers are to be just, equal in the administration of justice. They are to protect against all enemies, foreign and domestic. So that's their basic purpose. But in fulfilling their function, let us be clear, they are God's ministers. You know what minister means? Minister means servant. It means to serve. If you minister to somebody, you're serving someone. You know, we think about Well, a minister, you know, he's high up on a pedestal, but a minister actually means one who serves. Matter of fact, in Great Britain, instead of like having secretary of defense, you have the minister of defense, right? In other words, the one, or even the use, instead of president, what do they have under the king? Prime minister, chief servant, if you will. So the civil government should have those who have that attitude of service towards the people, but fundamentally, their service to God. In Romans chapter 13, the Apostle Paul clearly addressed this, did he not? In Romans chapter 13, as he talks about every soul being subject to the governing authorities and so forth, Verse 4 of Romans 13, for he, that is to say the ruler, is God's minister to you for good, the minister of God, but to you for good, for your own good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain, for he is God's minister and avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. So the ministers, then, or the magistrates then, the rulers, are to be God's servants to do that which is good, to praise and support what is good, and to oppose that which is evil. They are to fear God's anointed son, Psalm 2, that we often sing, the second Psalm. They are to fear, they are to rule in the fear of God because they will give account someday as to what kind of rulers they were. And as Elder Petillo mentioned as he was doing the reading from Genesis 19 today, as we look at Genesis 19, we see an example of what as a danger to the society. Rampant, militant, homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah. What happened, children, to Sodom and Gomorrah? They were destroyed by God. Rampant, militant homosexuality is dangerous, and it leads to destruction. And rulers then have a responsibility with regard to such issues if they are ruling in the fear of God. Now there are three great spheres of activity in society or three great institutions. The family, which is the basic unit. the church, comprised of those who profess faith in Christ and their children, and the state or the civil government. So we think about these three spheres. They're separate, but they are also interdependent. They overlap in certain ways. But the law of God applies universally, which is the whole point of the sermon here today. The law of God applies across the board because God is God. His law, therefore, there's nothing, there are no loopholes with God. Okay, there are no loopholes. The law of God, if God is God, then His law applies universally. All people, all institutions, all nations are under God's rule and are obliged to obey Him. Now the way in which the various commandments apply may differ among these three spheres of family, church, and state. For example, only the church exercises church discipline. It does so by means of what are called the keys of the kingdom. Only the church pronounces that kind of spiritual judgment. What is it in terms of the family? How is the punishment meted out? Well, what's sometimes called the Board of Education. That is, say, a paddle, right? OK. and in terms of the rod. And again, this is as a, let's be clear, when we talk about these punishments, we're talking about the final punishment, if you will. In other words, when you're dealing with a child that's misbehaving, not that we'd ever have any here, but if you did, if you did, you wouldn't immediately move to the paddle, would you? There would be other punishments. But the rod then is viewed as that. And in terms of the state, of course, it is the sword which, among other things, can prod you in the right direction. So the way in which the various commandments apply may differ among family, church, and state. But nevertheless, the law does apply across the board. Well, that leads us to our text for today, which is Job 31, verse 11. where Job says, for that, that is to say, if I've engaged in adultery, for that would be wickedness. Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. So adultery, then, is a horrible crime, a heinous crime, if you will. The word zamah here can mean wickedness or wicked plot, but also bad crime. That would be wickedness, that would be a bad crime. And in the context here it is appropriate to translate it as a crime, as a crime. Notice that it does not say that is a horrible sin, but rather a crime. The civil magistrate then does not judge sin as such, but rather it judges crimes. It judges the outward, if you will, unlike the church that deals more with the inward. It judges in terms of the outward expression. So, for example, if someone, let's say, robs a bank, Well, the civil magistrate obviously should get involved and have appropriate punishment. The church, if that person is a professing Christian, also should get involved in terms of addressing the heart. But verse 11 here then is pretty clear when it says here, yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment. What it's saying here is that adultery is an iniquity to be punished by the judges. This is a reference to those who judge civil cases, including criminal ones. Therefore, the civil government has a role in punishing this type of iniquity. So that's our basic text, and it proves the case right there. But let's look also, secondly, at various what are called the case laws in the Old Testament. First of all, Leviticus chapter 20. Leviticus chapter 20, verses 10 through 16. Leviticus chapter 20, these are the case laws that were applied to the civil magistrate in the Old Testament. Leviticus 20, verse 10, the man who commits adultery with another man's wife and so forth, what should happen? The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. So adultery is dealt with in verses 10 through 12. Verse 13, if a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. And so homosexuality. Verse 14, if a man marries a woman and her mother, it is wickedness. In other words, incest. And verses 15 and 16, if a man mates with an animal, He shall surely be put to death and you shall kill the animal. And so what's called bestiality. Now look with me at Deuteronomy chapter 22. Deuteronomy chapter 22. Deuteronomy 22 starting in verse 13. In verses 13 through 21, we have what are called the tokens of virginity, proving that a bride indeed had been a virgin. And then in verse 22, a man lying with a married woman is dealt with. Verses 23 through 27, a man who is found with a betrothed damsel, an engaged damsel, And then verses 28 and 29, a man lying with a virgin. All of these are issues that are dealt with by the civil government in the Old Testament. So there are two lessons, at least, that we can draw from the material that we've considered so far. Number one, Job 31 demonstrates that before Moses, before the Mosaic legislation, Before Moses, in terms of these various laws here, before that happened, the civil government enforced laws with regard to sexual relations. That's what Job is saying in Job 31. It is worthy of punishment by the judges for me to engage in adultery. But secondly, The other lesson that we can draw here is that the case laws confirm and strengthen the principle. So that leads us then, thirdly, to actions that the civil government can take, actions the civil government can take. Remember, the goal is that of protecting society from corruption, protecting against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And this protection can include spiritual and moral matters, not just those dealing with physical force. In other words, those that are trying to undermine society by means of their actions. Not just robbery, not just killing, but other things as well. And so the civil government then can enact laws that promote the family. For example, Tough divorce laws. Now, we've talked about divorce. We've mentioned the fact that under certain circumstances, divorce is allowable. But nevertheless, it should not be easy divorce. Tough divorce laws in order to promote the family and protect the children, for example. Non-discriminatory tax laws. Many times tax laws discriminate against a married couple, but non-discriminatory tax laws. And thirdly, law based upon the idea that marriage means that husband and wife become one flesh. They become one flesh. And so law then should recognize the fact That when there is, just like we talked about last time, till death us do part, right? As we talked about last time, when husband and wife come together, they come together as one. They become one. They're not simply two independent agents that happen to have a contract with each other. And therefore, the law should recognize that one flesh character. As a matter of fact, in some ways it does. I mean, even to this day, that a husband is not forced to testify against his wife or a wife against her husband in court. You know why? Because they're one flesh. That's what's behind that law, right? But not only there, but in other ways as well, laws that recognize the one flesh character of marriage. And then thirdly, And then thirdly, in terms of actions the civil government can take, the civil government can criminalize violations, that is to say, outlawing overt violations of the Seventh Commandment. Adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, pornography. two observations, first of all. The government and the overall observation is this. The government will always take a position regarding sexual practice. It is inevitable. The government will always take a position regarding sexual practice. There is no neutrality. Men Nations and institutions are either for Christ or against him. And furthermore, morality does come to legislative expression. All law is based on morality. Every law has a moral, a philosophical, indeed, a religious basis for it. Why else would you have law? The only question, therefore, is, Whose morality is it? Whose morality is it that is being imposed by means of the law? Is it God's morality or is it the world's morality? Today, our government is likely to take anti-Christian positions. The whole sex ed program in the public schools is essentially materialistic and pagan, not recognizing the true nature of marriage or even the true nature of man. With regard to the LGBTQ++ agenda, much of our government is opposed to Jesus. Let us be clear. The government will suppress either sexual perversion or it will suppress the Christian viewpoint. Or we could put it this way. One side or the other will be driven into the closet. That's exactly what you see in Genesis 19. That's exactly what you see in Genesis 19 in terms of Sodom and Gomorrah. righteous lot who vexed his righteous soul was basically told to shut up. His righteousness was being suppressed by the powers that be. This is the nature of the case. When you have these two conflicting worldviews, one representing God and one against him. one side or the other will be driven into the closet. So what should we do then by way of application? First of all, be a responsible citizen. I've said this sort of thing before. I'll say it again. Sorry to be drawing one note on this. Do not vote for someone simply because he's going to give you things. There is a much higher standard when you consider for whom you should vote. And recognize then that if the society falls apart through moral corruption, nothing else matters. Ask the people of Sodom and Gomorrah if you don't believe me. Be a responsible citizen. Number two, be a responsible Christian. Don't be a hypocrite. It is so easy for us to look down our self-righteous noses at others and say, well, they support this, that, or the other thing. Or they're living this, that, or the other thing this way or the other way. And forget that we are all sinners. Don't be a hypocrite. and make sure that you indeed are living a holy life. And finally, pray. Pray. Pray that God would spare our nation from the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Pray that the Lord would raise up godly leaders who would rule in the fear of God. and pray that the mediatorial king, Jesus Christ, would be exalted and that his kingdom would come. Amen. Will you please stand for prayer? And Father, we recognize that these are serious words, solemn things that we're dealing with. But we also recognize, oh God, that thou art a righteous God. And so have mercy upon us, oh Lord. Have mercy upon this nation. Have mercy upon us as the church. Have mercy upon us, oh Lord, as individuals. Give us the grace to live lives that are truly pleasing to Christ. We pray, Lord, for those who are our rulers, that they would rule in the fear of God and not the fear of man. May they be those who truly want to serve Christ. Now, Lord, be pleased to hear this, our prayer. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Please turn now with me to Psalm 138B. 138B with all