27th September 2024

27th September 2024


Pray (ACts)


Read (Matthew 5:27-32 focus v31-32)


Message (Alan Burke)


I remember some time ago while at a postoffice down the country seeing a card that said “Congratulations You’re Divorced” I think still have the photo I took of it. Inside it said, “You Can Start Living Again”. Our society has lost the sanity of marriage and here as Jesus teaches on divorce I want to start by saying that I know some of you have experienced the pain of first hand, of marriage breakdown that leads to divorce and my intention is not to beat you over the head but to take you to the teaching of Jesus and remind you that there is forgiveness for our sin. 


Here Jesus is teaching that divorce and remarriage without biblical grounds constitutes as adultery because at the time reasons for divorce make no fault divorce today look extremely conservative but the thing is that divorce was always brought about by a man against his wife and I kid you not a man could divorce his wife for speaking to another man along with many many other reasons that to most reasonable people today would seem like madness. Often these women were left destitute and she could either return to her father's household or more often than not had to remarry. 


So Jesus teaching here on divorce and the teaching of what marriages should look like in the New Testament would have been countercultural as it is today. For men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, which is a sacrificial love (Eph 5:22-33). What Jesus does in these two verses is turn the understanding of divorce and the reasons why divorce could be granted on its head as he’s teaches 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Mt 19:9). Divorce was permissible and Deuteronomy 24 gives provisions for that but the emphasis here in the teaching of Jesus is the  sanctity of marriage, he wanted us to see the intent for marriage, how that it shouldn’t be entered in lightly nor exited lightly. Instead of allowing multiple reasons for divorce here Jesus speaks of one, adultery. While divorce was never part of God’s intention for marriage in cases of adultery it is permissible but not demanded. 


Scripture gives one other clear grounds for divorce, adultery is one of them and the other is desertion on the part of an unbeliever (1 Cor 7:10-16). Without biblical grounds the church for its members is tasked with correcting, discipling those who seek divorce. We don’t like the idea of discipline but it is to correct behaviour, it is to call someone to repentance.


If someone is in abusive relationship the person should be removed from that, but the task of discipline is that the guilty party should be rebuked, their behaviour should be corrected so there can be restoration. If they do not, if they refuse to repent, if their behaviour connotes then that person would be excommunicated and called an unbeliever for the sake of the other. If you are unsure what excommunicated means it means that a person is removed from the membership of the church, they are deemed as being lost and that they will face hell. Then the one who has been deserted by their unbelieving spouse would be allowed to remarry for they have been deserted, abandoned, their spouse has not held fast to the promises that they have made.


Sadly though many get divorced even in the church because they have fallen out of love, they are incompatible with one another, because often the selfishness of the human heart and they have not kept the vows that they had made. Divorce is often the easy way out, rather than putting the hard work but it should only be the last resort. God gives us the church to help us through these things, if you are having problems in your marriage reach out to us before it is too late, coming not when things have hit rock bottom. 


The teaching of the word of God on divorce and the teaching of Jesus is not to hit people over the head with a big stick because of their failure in marriage, and if you have been through divorce please know the words of Jesus in Mark Chapter 3:28, where Jesus said  28 I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. Except blasphemy against the spirit (Mk 3:28), know those words are true, as fallen sinful people who have broken relationships know those words of Jesus, if you have repented and believed then you have been forgiven. But marriage is a serious matter, it is seen as serious by God so if you’re married take it seriously and encourage others to do the same. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q 101. What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. In the first petition, which is, Hallowed be thy name,” we pray, that God would enable us, and others, to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known, and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.
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