Good morning.
There is almost no unhappiness so poignant as the unhappiness of an unhappy marriage,
and almost no tragedy so great as the disintegration of what God meant for love and fulfillment
into a non-relationship of bitterness, discord, and despair.
So writes commentator John Stott as he begins his commentary on our passage this morning.
Today we will be looking at something, a topic that for some will be difficult, painful, and personal.
Jesus' view on divorce and marriage.
And it is a weighty one.
It is one filled with many, even conflicting, emotions.
And I, as your pastor, stand here with not a little fear and trepidation in preaching about this.
My hope in prayer is that I will bring clarity and compassion to this topic.
My hope is that we might not merely have an academic discussion, nor merely an emotional response,
but that the glory of the kingdom of God might shine through this passage to us this morning
and might bring healing and hope into your lives.
We are continuing in our sermon series in the Sermon on the Mount this morning.
It is page 760 in your pew Bible.
We are looking at Matthew chapter 5, verses 31 to 32.
And as you turn there so we can look at it together, just let me remind you,
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is painting a picture of the kingdom that He is proclaiming
that He is going to bring and that it is at hand.
The kingdom that He is, our Savior King, will be establishing through His life and death and resurrection.
And the immediate context of this verse is in a series of applications after verses 17 through 20,
where Jesus said, I am the fulfillment of the law and the prophets,
and now I want you to obey Me as I instruct you about how to live in this kingdom driven by the gospel.
Verse 20 there says, you must have a righteousness that is greater than the Pharisees.
You must have a distinctively Christian view of these topics.
And so with this, let's ask God's help as we look at God's Word this morning.
Lord, there are some whose heart rates just jumped, whose blood pressure rose because of what we're talking about this morning,
because these things are deep and meaningful.
Lord, I pray that Your comfort and Your peace and Your truth would be with us.
Lord, help us together to sit under the teaching of Your Word.
Let it refine us.
Lord, perhaps this morning You will bring conviction of sin.
Perhaps this morning You will bring a healing balm and comfort.
Certainly, Lord, this morning may we be reminded of hope
and of Your great love with which You have loved us.
Lord, I ask for Your help this morning
that I might speak the words that You want me to speak
and that together we might see the truth of Your Word.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So Matthew, chapter 5, starting in verse 31.
It was also said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.
But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality,
makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
My friends, as we look at this passage this morning, it's fairly straightforward.
Jesus calls us to uphold a distinctively kingdom view of marriage and divorce.
What does that look like?
Well, let's look at it together.
I think we're going to look at it in three stages.
Here's your outline if you're an outline person.
We're going to look at the context, both cultural and biblical, of this passage.
Secondly, we're going to look at the content of Jesus' call, the prohibition and the exception.
And then we're going to look at the gospel glory that comes in the call of Jesus.
So first, the context of Jesus' call to us, cultural and biblical.
Verse 31, it was also said, whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.
Jesus is referring to and quoting what the Pharisees would have based their view on divorce and remarriage on
in Deuteronomy 24, verse 1, where it says,
if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her,
and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of the house,
and it goes on.
It's a longer passage.
We're not going to look at all of the details,
but what you want to see clearly is that there was established in the Old Testament
a basis of divorce for, quote-unquote, some indecency,
and we will just explore that in just a minute.
This divorce required the husband to give the wife who he was divorcing a certificate
that would authenticate this so that it was known that she was not merely abandoning the marriage,
but that she was free then from the constraints and free to remarry
because in the ancient Near East, a woman without a husband and a home
was in a very perilous and vulnerable state,
and so there was a protection that came from this.
It also served, if you read through Deuteronomy 24 carefully,
it served as a warning that when he relinquished claim on this marriage by divorcing her,
there was no going back.
This was a permanent action.
You can read through Deuteronomy 24 more if you want to see it,
but this was the biblical basis upon which the first century Pharisees understood marriage and divorce.
Now, in the first century, there were two schools of Pharisees.
There were the followers of Rabbi Hillel and the followers of Rabbi Shammai,
and both of them saw marriage as a covenant with promises to provide food and clothing,
love and fidelity, that is, faithfulness in sexual activity to the marriage covenant,
and they saw that if there was a violation of these things,
there was some grounds for divorce, for they would break that covenant agreement.
Both saw that remarriage was possible when a divorce was given.
So this was a common first century understanding.
Now, there was a major disagreement between these two schools,
for the Hillel school thought that some matters of indecency
actually meant any matters or indecency.
And so, if a wife burned the toast, or if the husband saw a woman that he found more attractive than his wife,
he could divorce her because clearly that was grounds.
There was something there that he found unacceptable.
The Shammai, on the other hand, had a much more narrow view of understanding
that this was on the grounds of moral unfaithfulness or infidelity
in the way that we typically think of it with sexual activity some way outside of marriage.
In fact, they were strong enough that they said,
if you commit this, then the husband must divorce the wife on that grounds
because of the broken covenant agreement.
Now, here's the third interesting historical piece that comes together.
In the first century, over 90% of divorces were granted by rabbis in the school of Hillel.
90% over 90%.
That meant that everybody went to the easy lenient judges if they wanted to get a divorce.
Right?
And the Shammai school said,
well, we don't judge whether the legitimacy of the divorce is there or not,
so they're all legitimate.
So, remarriage, for anybody, divorce, for any reason,
functionally, was the first century culture in which Jesus is speaking.
The Jewish context in the first century was a for-any-cause divorce culture.
Friends, it's not hard to see that we are not so different in our culture today.
The no-fault divorce is firmly planted in American culture and law at this point
without the misogyny of the first century where the husband was initiating it
and the wife was the victim of it.
But we've given more freedom, so anybody can do that.
I'm not sure that's progress.
It's an interesting question.
Our culture today often views marriage as contractual, not covenantal.
We see it as a 50-50.
You do your part, I'll do my part, and hopefully that'll get to something worthwhile.
It is a mutual benefit as long as it continues to be mutually beneficial.
And as soon as it's not, we abandon it.
It's a shockingly self-centered view of marriage.
It's shocking to think about marriage as something that is for my happiness,
and if I'm not happy, I will leave it.
To lay it bare, we end up using marriage for self-fulfillment.
This is not God's view, as we will see in a minute.
And even when we are married, we find ourselves saying,
I think I've grown apart.
We're going in different directions.
I've developed new interests.
And this gives us, it seems, grounds to abandon the divorce.
So Jesus speaks not only into a first-century context of for any reason,
but in the 21st-century context of no-fault divorce.
Jesus, however, is not merely speaking into that cultural context.
He is also speaking with the weight of a biblical narrative about marriage
that we need to understand for us to get these two verses clearly.
Turning to Matthew 19, because if you want to turn there,
we're going to spend a few minutes there,
because in Matthew 19, Jesus ends with a discussion with the Pharisees,
with almost the exact same words he says here.
But he has a much longer conversation with them,
because the Pharisees come in an attempt to trap him and say,
can you get divorced for any cause?
And they're trying to provoke him so that one of the two schools
will be angry with Jesus for how he responds.
And Jesus responds by saying,
if you're asking about the grounds of divorce,
you're in fact asking the wrong question.
When they ask him this question about,
for what reason can we divorce someone,
Jesus says,
do you remember where it began?
Do you remember what God established in creation?
Go back to the beginning of what God intended.
And so he goes back to Genesis,
and he says,
let us make man in our image,
male and female he made them,
and let them be fruitful and multiply.
And then he goes on in chapter 2,
where he retells the story of creation
in a way that brings man and women together
to be partners in a marriage.
When Adam wakes up and sees Eve,
and he says,
this now is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.
And says,
therefore a man shall leave his father and mother
and join to his wife,
and they shall become one.
And in this picture in the Old Testament,
there's this mysterious but real union
of two lives becoming in God's eyes,
and in fact a oneness of body, mind, spirit, and life
shared together that is meant to be
permanent and exclusive.
The language of leaving and cleaving in Genesis 2
is covenantal language
of this wholehearted agreement
and commitment to the other party.
This is the basis of the traditional church vows
that maybe many of us know,
to have and to hold from this day forward
for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish until death do us part,
forsaking all others.
This is the marriage covenant.
This is the vows.
And this is a good creation pattern
that Jesus points us to.
And he says,
this is a goodness that's made
not just for the church,
like baptism or communion,
but for the whole world.
And fascinatingly,
there are sociological studies out there
that say it's true.
Marriage really is good.
As broken and as difficult as it is,
it is actually better where there is marriage
than where there is not.
So Jesus says,
from the beginning,
there was a goodness
that you need to be considering
before you start talking about divorce.
And so in verses 8 and 9 of Matthew 19,
he says,
because of the hardness of heart,
Moses allowed you to divorce your wives.
But from the beginning,
it was not so.
Because we know that in the original creation,
this marriage was a beautiful thing.
But then as sin entered the world,
sin entered marriage
and made it hard
and made it difficult.
And you can read through the Old Testament,
and there is case after case after case
of marriages
that violate the covenant,
that don't show the beauty of it.
Over and over again,
you see consequences of broken marriages
where they weren't always permanent and exclusive.
Jesus says,
why then does the New Testament give this?
Because of sin.
Because hardness of heart does enter in.
And there are times when divorce may need
to be accommodated or allowed.
Remember, though,
that divorce was never commanded
in the Old Testament,
in contradiction to the Shammai school
that said that you must.
But it was always an accommodation
where rather than provision,
companionship, union, fidelity,
there was abandonment, brokenness.
So in this,
in responding in Matthew 19
to the question of the Pharisees,
Jesus upholds a beautiful picture of marriage
and says,
this is where we need to start
as we're talking about these things.
So friends,
the first thing I want to say
to us this morning
as we're talking about this passage is,
how can we grow
in our faithfulness to marriage?
How can we hold fast
to our spouse?
And listen,
it's not easy.
Every married person here
will tell you
there's lots of wonderful things
about marriage,
but it is hard work
when two sinners
live on top of each other
every day,
all day.
When they entwine their lives
irrevocably
in the covenant of marriage,
you're stuck.
And it's hard.
And you realize
how sinful you are
and how selfish you are
and how unkind you can be
and how easily you imagine
that there might be
something else out there
that might be better,
that the grass might be greener
on some other side.
There is great blessing
and great opportunity
for growth
in marriage,
but it's worth fighting for.
If you are married,
fight for your marriage.
Be defensive in it.
Guard your heart
and guard your marriage.
Don't give in
to the temptation
to wander
with your eyes
or with your imagination
or with your actions.
When you are tempted
to long for another,
when you see someone else
starting to fill those spaces
in your heart
that your spouse needs to fit,
you need to flee.
You need to run away
like Joseph
running from Potiphar's wife
saying,
how could I sin against God
in this way?
In your relationships,
make sure that you put
your spouse first
before others.
If you're married today,
I want to ask you,
how are you investing
in your marriage?
How are you making time
and heart space?
How are you creating
the opportunities
to share joys
and sorrows together?
How are you seeking
to lay down your life
to serve the other?
To love and to cherish
till death do us part.
And listen,
if you're here
and you're single,
what is your call
in this?
First,
it's to see
the original goodness
of marriage.
I know in our church
some of you
are 20-somethings
who've not been married
and maybe you're
looking around
and wondering,
do I even want that?
Because it seems
pretty broken.
It seems really hard.
Right?
Some of you
are later in life.
I know some of you
have been divorced.
Some of you
are widows
and widowers.
Some of you
have never been married.
First and foremost,
uphold,
uphold
the ideal of marriage
that God has called
us to value
as a church.
Think about how
you can encourage
your married friends
to stay married
and to love
and to serve them
in the ways
that you have.
But also,
take advantage now.
Maybe God will call you
to marriage in the future.
Prepare for that now.
Learn the hard work
of relationships.
Learn how to resolve
conflict with your roommates,
with your coworkers,
with your bosses.
Learn how to serve others
selflessly.
Not selfishly.
Develop the basic skills
that God will want
to call you into
if God calls you
into marriage.
And know,
and we'll come back
to this at the end,
know that at the end
of the day,
friends,
being married
or being single,
these are not
the pinnacles of life.
They are contexts
in which God
has called you
to live out
your calling
to follow Christ
and to let Him
be the lover
of your soul
and the bridegroom
who loves you
with an everlasting love
and for you
to respond to Him
with love
and devotion
and fidelity.
So marriage,
it's a good thing.
It's what God
has given us.
And Jesus brings
this whole vision.
He's assuming it
as He's teaching
these verses
in 31 and 32.
So here we go.
Let's look now.
Having looked
at the context,
let's look at the content
of Jesus' call.
This is in verse 32.
This is following
the pattern that Jesus
has been doing
in this section.
You have heard it said,
but I say to you.
Jesus is taking it further.
He's saying this is now
the kingdom imprint
on how to handle
these issues.
And He says,
but I say to you
that everyone
who divorces his wife
except on the ground
of sexual immorality
makes her commit adultery
and whoever marries
a divorced woman
commits adultery.
There are two parts
of what Jesus
is saying here
and I want them
both to carry
the appropriate weight.
There is a strong
prohibition
and then there is
an exception clause.
The strong prohibition
is this.
If you take out
the exception clause,
if you ever were
a grammar nerd,
this is a subordinate clause.
So you just remove
the subordinate clause
and here's the main clause
of the sentence.
Don't commit adultery.
Do not divorce
because you are
committing adultery.
Now that's a very stark
way of saying it
but that's what Jesus is,
that is the main phrase here.
Don't divorce
because it's a violation
of this vision of marriage
that God has given us.
Interestingly,
when you look at Luke
and when you look at Mark
in Mark 10 verses 11 and 12
and in Luke 16, 18,
they both summarize it
just by saying this.
If you divorce,
you commit adultery.
Now, the assumption in this
is that everyone remarried
in the first century.
That men couldn't live
without a wife
in the first century
and that women were vulnerable
and unprotected
and so they needed to remarry
in order to be a part
of a household
to be provided for.
That was a cultural assumption
that Jesus is making.
So he equates divorce
with adultery
because there's a remarriage
assumed in that.
Jesus is saying,
because marriage
is permanent
and exclusive,
when you divorce
and remarry,
you are committing adultery.
Maybe it's helpful
to think about it this way.
Sometimes we think about
divorce as
we want to change
our context.
It's kind of like
we want to change
our clothes
or we want to move
to a new house
or get a new job.
We want to change
the context
in which we're living
our daily lives.
Tim Keller says,
divorce is better thought of
as an amputation
because God has brought
two to become one
and if you are divorcing,
you are breaking,
you are rending
this oneness
like you'd have to cut off
limbs
to do so.
It is,
as the old phrase says,
tearing asunder
what God has joined
together.
We need to let this sink in
because our culture
just doesn't think about it
this way.
There is so much divorce
that we've become
numb to the severity
that Jesus puts
on what divorce is.
Divorce violates
the original design
of marriage
and broadly
it should not be so.
Having let that sink in,
Jesus then says,
except for
there is a provision,
there's an understanding
that there are
some places
except for
in a context
of sexual immorality,
there is then
a place for divorce.
Why would that be?
Well, what is
sexual immorality?
Some of your versions
may read
that it's
marital unfaithfulness.
It's a very poor
translation of the word.
The word that's used
there is a much
broader word.
It's broadly
sexual immorality
of all sorts of kinds.
In other parts
of the Bible
it would include
things like
homosexuality
and bestiality
and incest
and all sorts
of things.
So, let's just,
let's assume
it's a broad term
here, right?
Any sexual activity
outside of the
healthy and proper
boundaries of husband
and wife.
And the logic
behind this
seems to be
that where
sexual unfaithfulness
has been,
the covenant
has been fundamentally
broken by that
violation.
And because of that
it says divorce
could be allowed
in those contexts.
And we need to
understand that
it's,
that as we look
broader,
as we pan out
a little bit
from just this verse,
we see that
in fact
there's another
place in Scripture
in 1 Corinthians 7
that suggests
that Jesus
isn't making
a comprehensive
statement on
all the grounds
by which divorce
may happen.
But he's giving
one very important
one.
Remember the
rabbi said
food,
clothing,
companionship,
fidelity.
And he was
dealing with
the fidelity
one as he
was addressing
this in this
context.
But what we do
see is that
in 1 Corinthians
7, 15
Paul addresses
an abandonment
of companionship.
This is where
in the context
of 1 Corinthians
believing,
people who have
come to faith
in Christ
who are now
married to someone
who's not a
believer,
the believer
is thinking
wait,
am I unequally
yoked?
Am I married
to someone
who doesn't
share my
faith commitment?
And if that's
true,
should I
abandon the
marriage so
that I can
go marry
someone who
shares my
faith commitment
now?
And Paul says
no,
you're married
to this
person,
stay married
to them
and love
them.
But then he
goes on
and he says
but if
your unbelieving
spouse says
you know what,
I'm done
with this,
you're not
the same
person I
married,
I am not
here anymore,
and that
person says
I'm gone,
then you
as a
believer,
that marriage
covenant has
been broken
by that
abandonment.
And so you
are then
free,
and I
believe that
freedom is
freedom to
remarry in a
similar way
because the
covenant has
been broken
in that way.
Okay?
So this is
how we
understand
divorce and
remarriage
at
trinity,
or divorce.
I want to
speak briefly
to remarriage,
and I'll
talk a little
bit more
about this
in application
in just a
minute,
but recognize
that divorcing
in the spirit
of the age
today,
divorcing for
any cause
whatsoever,
puts you
exactly in the
crosshairs of
what Jesus
is saying.
If you
divorce and
then you
remarry,
and that
divorce has
not been
legitimate,
you are
violating
your original
covenant
by marrying
someone else.
Now,
we'll talk
about how
to deal
with that
in a
minute,
but that's
what Jesus
is saying,
and he
challenges
us how
we think
about it.
So what
then,
how then
do we
respond?
First,
it means
we should
have hearts
to stay
faithful to
our marriage,
not to
ask how
can I
get out,
but how
could I
invest and
build?
Not for
what reason
can I
divorce,
but how
can we
stay
together?
Some
people ask,
if a box
can be
checked,
he committed
adultery,
she was
unfaithful,
does that
mean I
can just
go ahead
with divorce?
And I
think as
we look
at this,
Jesus would
recommend a
different
pattern,
a different
approach,
because he
would say
first,
wait your
marriage
through the
eyes of
redemption
and seek
for
reconciliation
first.
Now listen
carefully,
I do not
mean a
cheap
papering
over,
I do
not mean
a quick
just forgive
me,
we'll
get back
to normal,
no problems.
The work
of repair
in times
of betrayal
and unfaithfulness
is massive
and huge,
and the
rebuilding
of trust
will be
a year
long or
life
long project,
but it's
worth it.
Explore
it,
seek
it,
pursue
it,
and in
the midst
of it,
be careful
with your
own heart
that you
don't allow
bitterness
and contempt
to be the
fruit of
the hurt.
There is
appropriate
grieving,
there is
appropriate
setting of
boundaries and
even consequences,
but seek
to rebuild
the marriage
first.
And in
that,
my second
advice is
to be
patient,
not rash,
and to
give the
Lord time
to work.
Now again,
here's a
major caveat,
not to
stay in an
abusive
situation
where you
are in
danger.
If you
are in
a dangerous
situation,
it is
right for
you to
remove
yourself
from that
and to
seek
appropriate
help
from the
church,
from the
police,
from
counselors,
wherever
it is
needed.
Reconciliation
can only
happen in
the context
of physical
safety,
and that
would be a
prerequisite of
any pursuit.
But friends,
give it
time.
Wait on
the Lord.
Wait on
the Lord to
work in
your heart
to process
the hurt
if you're
the betrayed
spouse.
Wait on
the Lord to
work in
the heart
of the
offending
spouse for
them to
see the
depth of
their sin
so that
their
repentance
will be
real and
deep and
genuine.
Separation
might be
an appropriate
step, but
for a season
and with a
purpose, not
as an off-ramp,
but as a
purpose of
saying we
need space
to do our
own work so
that we can
try to come
back together
and reconcile.
Know that it
can take
time for
this to
happen.
Thirdly, do
this in
community.
Friends, it
is so hard
in the midst
of these
things because
shame rises
up on
every side.
The betrayer
feels shame
and they just
want to hide
and they
don't want to
tell anybody
that they've
done this
thing that
is so
hurtful to
their spouse.
The betrayed
spouse often
feels guilty.
What did I
do?
Did I deserve
this?
How could I
have done
better?
And isolation
is our
response so
often to
these things.
Friends, fight
that response.
Take it to
your friends.
Bring it to
the elders
and to the
older members
of our church
so that we
can walk
with you
through this.
Find friends
who won't
merely be
your cheerleaders
and say you
were wronged,
but who will
speak grace
and truth
to you,
who will help
you see your
own hearts.
And friends,
then, if
having involved
others,
pursued
reconciliation
with patience,
when it is
clear that
the other
person has a
hard heart
and is
unwilling,
unable
to take
the steps
to rebuild,
then there
is an
exception.
then there
is a
place to
say this
marriage has
been broken
and this
person who
I'm married
to has
hardened their
heart to
not rebuild
it.
This is
where there
is freedom
and it is a
real freedom.
There is a
real sense
of this
marriage is
done in
these contexts.
but friends,
let me say
this,
even when we
get to
that point,
no marriage
should end
in divorce
without broken
heartedness
in the heart
of a
Christian.
Even if
you feel
relief from
abuse or
serial infidelity
or emotional
hurt and
pain,
even when
it is the
appropriate
step within
the scriptural
boundaries,
if you have
not grieved,
you're not
ready to
divorce.
There should
be brokenness
and mourning
for what
God designed
to be good,
even when
it is allowed
and it is
an appropriate
step.
Now,
there are
many situations
that I
can't address
specifically.
What constitutes
sexual immorality
or abandonment?
What about
pornography?
What about
emotional abuse?
What about
failure to
provide?
What about
a spouse
who says
one thing
but does
the other?
Friends,
this is where
time and
discernment
and community
are all part
of God's
design to
help you
walk through
what that
looks like.
thing.
I do want
to address
one other
situation
that some
of you
may be
thinking
about
or
maybe
in
and
that
is
you may be
sitting here
this morning
and you
have
divorced
and as you
look back
on it
you think
I didn't
divorce
under these
conditions.
I didn't
divorce in
the spirit
that God
would have
wanted me
to.
What do I
do now?
Maybe you're
married again,
maybe you're
not.
Here are a few
thoughts for you
who are
divorced
and are
recognizing
that it's
not God's
plan.
It wasn't
part of
what God
would want.
First,
recognize that
you can
repent.
Repent
of the
divorce.
Recognize
that it
was done
in sin
if it
was.
There is
forgiveness
for you.
Grant
Osborne
in another
commentary
says,
the present
tense
commit
adultery
in no way
means that
a couple
will live
in perpetual
adultery.
It is not
the unpardonable
sin.
It means
that the
present act
and consummation
of remarriage
is adulterous.
The couple
should admit
that and
then begin
to live
by God's
standards.
So this
is a
recognition.
If you
have remarried,
then you
should stay
in that
marriage.
And that
is the
marriage
that God
has called
you to
in a
redemptive
way,
live out
the calling
that He's
called you
to,
to uphold
the beautiful
picture of
marriage
that we
talked about
earlier.
So if you're
remarried,
stay there.
If you're
not remarried
and your
spouse,
your ex-spouse
is not
remarried,
consider
reconciliation
if it would
be possible.
It may or
may not be.
And it may
be that in
even exploring
that you
realize
wherever we
were then,
where we
are now,
is irreconcilable.
That is
possible.
You can't
control that.
But at
least consider
it.
Friends,
I say all
these things
with fear
and trembling
because I
know some
of you have
walked this
road already.
And what I
want you to
know is
that Jesus
sees you
where you
are.
Some of you
have been
deeply
betrayed
and hurt.
Some of you
have perpetrated
harm
on others
and have
been unfaithful.
And some
of you are
in marriages
now,
but you're
at a place
where you're
wondering,
how can I
get out?
the gospel
is our
only hope.
You see,
the gospel
of glory
and the
call of
Jesus,
this is our
third point,
is that
God
has called
us to a
marriage
that is
even greater
than the
marriage
between a
man and
a woman.
God,
in the
Old Testament,
God uses
marriage language
to describe
the relationship
between him
and his
people.
God is a
loving,
faithful husband
who pursues
his people.
And do you
know what
Israel is?
An unfaithful
bride who
abandons the
covenant to
go after other
lovers,
who worships
other gods
and serves
other masters,
who
devotes
themselves
to others
rather than
God himself.
This is what
was read
earlier by
Carolyn,
Jeremiah 2.2.
Go and
proclaim in
the hearing
of Jerusalem.
Thus says
the Lord,
I remember
the devotion
of your
youth,
your love
as a
bride,
how you
followed me
in the
wilderness
in a
land not
sown.
Jeremiah
goes on
in chapter
3,
verse 20,
and he
indicts
Israel.
Surely
as a
treacherous
wife leaves
her husband,
so you
have been
treacherous
to me,
O house
of Israel,
declares
the Lord.
In fact,
the abandonment
of the
covenant
relationship
was so
deep that
God brought
the judgment
of exile
upon Israel,
and he
uses in
Jeremiah 3.8
divorce language.
She,
and this
is referring
to Judah,
this is
technical,
the southern
kingdom
watching the
northern
kingdom.
The northern
kingdom had
already been
judged for
its unfaithfulness.
The southern
kingdom is
wondering,
what do we
do?
And Jeremiah
says,
she saw
that for
all the
adulteries
of that
faithless
one,
Israel,
I had
sent her
away with
a decree
of divorce.
Yet her
treacherous
sister,
Judah,
did not
fear,
but she
too went
and played
the whore.
Old
Testament
language
is so
poignant,
isn't it?
But along
with this
thread of
unfaithfulness,
we see
unfaithfulness
by God's
people,
we see
the thread
of God's
redemptive
faithfulness
for his
people.
In grace,
he pursues
us in
our unfaithfulness
and promises
a restored
relationship.
So in
Isaiah 62
verses 3
through 5,
looking ahead
past the
exile,
God is
saying,
there will
be a day
that is
coming when
I will
restore my
relationship
with my
people.
He says,
you shall
be a crown
of beauty
in the hands
of the
Lord,
and a
royal diadem
in the
hand of
your God.
You shall
no more
be termed
forsaken,
and your
land shall
no more
be termed
desolate,
but you
shall be
called
my
delight
is in
her,
and your
land shall
be called
married.
For the
Lord delights
in you,
and your
land shall
be married,
for as a
young man
marries a
young woman,
so shall
your sons
marry you,
and as the
bridegroom
rejoices over
the bride,
so shall
your God
rejoice over
you.
And friends,
if you
haven't,
if you
weren't here
when we
preached through
Hosea a
couple years
ago,
if you
haven't read
the book
of Hosea,
it is
all about
this picture.
So in
Hosea 2,
the Lord
says this,
in that
day,
declares the
Lord,
you will
call me
husband,
and no
longer will
you call
me my
Baal,
for I
will remove
the name
of the
Baals,
Baals were
Old Testament
gods other
than the
God of the
Bible,
I will
remove the
names of
the Baals
from her
mouth,
and they
shall be
remembered
by name
no more,
and I
will betroth
you to
me forever,
I will
betroth you
to me
in righteousness
and in
justice,
in steadfast
love and
mercy,
I will
betroth you
to me
in faithfulness,
and you
shall know
the Lord.
And friends,
as we trace
this theme
in the Old
Testament
through the
coming of
Jesus,
and His
life,
and His
death,
and His
resurrection,
and we
see how
great a
love with
which God
has loved
us in
this.
And Jesus,
the risen
one,
is not only
called the
Savior,
and the
King,
and the
Lamb of
God who
takes away
the sin
of the
world,
but He
is also
the Lamb
who invites
us to
the wedding
feast,
where we
will be
His bride,
and He
will be
our
bridegroom.
And so
we see
in Revelation
19,
John saying,
then I
heard what
seemed to be
the voice
of a
great
multitude
like a
roar of
many
waters,
and the
sound of
many
mighty
peals
of
thunder
crying out,
Hallelujah,
for the
Lord our
God,
the Almighty
reigns.
Let us
rejoice and
exult and
give Him
the glory,
for the
marriage of
the Lamb
has come,
and His
bride has
made herself
ready.
It was
granted her
to clothe
herself with
fine linen,
bright and
pure,
and the
fine linen
is the
righteous deeds
of the
saints.
And the
angel said
to me,
write this,
blessed are
those who
are invited
to the
marriage
supper of
the Lamb.
And He
said to me,
these are
the true
words of
God.
Friends,
do you
see that
this is
the good
news of
the gospel
in
marriage?
That
Jesus has
come to
us to
win us
out of
our sin
and our
unfaithfulness
and our
infidelity,
out of the
stain and
the brokenness
of our
lives,
God's
to make
us to
make us
His
perfect
bride.
If we
came to
Him,
we would
all be
the
adulterous,
wayward
spouse,
because our
faithfulness
is never
pure and
perfect,
because our
unfaithfulness,
our hearts
are prone
to wander.
But Jesus
comes and
He takes
hold of us
by His
love and
by His
Spirit.
He convicts
us of
sin and
brings us
to repentance
and faith
and by
union with
Him,
we are
now His
bride.
And how
blessed are
we who are
invited to
the marriage
supper of
the Lamb.
This is the
good news of
the gospel.
And this is
the power
for us
to respond
to Jesus'
call today.
Friends,
if you've
been convicted
that you've
not following,
that you have
not followed
or are not
following Jesus,
repent of
your sin
and receive
His forgiveness.
Know that
this is not
unforgivable,
that Jesus
by His life
and death
and resurrection
will cleanse
you from
all your sin
and free
you from
unrighteousness
so that you
can live
a new life.
Friends,
if you are
in a hard
marriage
and you
look at
your spouse
and you
think,
I don't
know if
I can
keep doing
this,
look at
your Savior
and know
how much
He has
loved you
and love
one another,
not even
for their
sake,
but for
Jesus'
sake.
Where
there's
been
betrayal,
let God's
forgiveness
of you
be the
starting
point.
And
friends,
where there
has been
or is
hard-heartedness
and abandonment,
when it
really is
done,
grieve
with Jesus
the breakdown.
Let Him
be the
one who
is gentle
and lowly,
who invites
you to
give Him
your burdens.
Let Him
be your
comfort and
your rock
and the
lover of
your soul
better than
any.
and for
all of us
this morning,
let us
marvel at
the love
that God
has shown
us.
Let us
pursue Him
and His
kingdom.
Let's pray.
Lord,
we feel
the weight
of these
words,
Spirit,
and so
often,
Lord,
those of
us with
tender
consciences
are overly
burdened,
and those
of us
with hardened
consciences
are untouched
by Your
Word.
Lord,
I pray
today that
by Your
Spirit,
You would
sort out
in our
hearts,
that You
would convict
us of
sin and
of unrighteousness.
Lord,
I pray that
You would
also comfort
and help
those who
feel great
burdens of
hurt,
shame
today.
Oh,
Lord,
do this
work,
we pray,
Lord,
so that
we might
know
the amazing
gospel of
grace,
that You
have not
loved us
because we've
deserved it,
but You
have loved
us well.
and in
Jesus,
You have
saved us
from our
sin and
made us
Your own.
What great
joy that
is.
Be with
us now,
in Jesus'
name,
amen.
Friends,
we're going
to end
our service
with going
to the
Lord's
Supper as
the worship
team comes
up.
There are
lots of
different ways
we could
talk about
what we
do when
we come
to the
table.
One of
the ways
that I think
we can
frame it
is this.
This is
the marriage
supper of
the Lamb,
where we
get to
come and
partake of
the cup and
of the juice
to remember
His great
love for
us.
It is a
celebration of
our salvation
that He has
worked for
us and the
love that He
shows us in
Christ.
And if you
this morning
are here and
you have placed
your faith in
Christ,
then let this
be a time for
you to come
and remember
and rejoice
in His love
for you.
If God has
convicted you of
sin this morning,
come and take
so that you
might know
His forgiveness.
If you find
your heart
hardened,
let Him break
your heart
again by
remembering the
degree, the
sacrifice that
Jesus made for
you with His
very own body,
His very own
blood shed for
you, bearing
the punishment
for your sin.
If you're here
this morning and
you haven't placed
your faith in
Christ, we would
ask, let the
elements pass by.
Don't take of it
because it is an
expression of faith,
but rather consider
the message of
Jesus' love for
people like you
and me.
And know Jesus'
invitation to
come to Him
and by faith
receive His
gift of salvation
this morning.
Friends, we're
going to spend a
few minutes just
in reflection.
The worship team
is going to play
from There is a
Fountain Filled
with Blood,
just for us to
have a few minutes
of quiet before
we take together.
If you have not
gotten the
elements, if you
haven't gotten one
of these, there
are ushers on the
side who can get
this as well.
So let's meditate
as we prepare our
hearts for communion.
Thank you.
for watching.
Thank you.
¶¶
Washed all my sins away, away, washed all my sins away.
Beneath that cleansing flood, He washed all our sins away.
This is what the Apostle Paul wrote.
¶¶
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Let's take a cup together.
Oh, Lord, what great love that you have shown us
that while we were still sinners, you died for us.
And, Lord, thank you now that because of the new covenant in your blood,
Lord, there is nothing that can separate us,
life or death or anything else.
Oh, Lord, what great love you have loved us with.
Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.