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Deuteronomy 7:1-4 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.

MIXED MARRIAGES? ??

DISTRIBUTION OF THE HUMAN RACE SHEM HAM JAPETH

DISTRIBUTION OF THE HUMAN RACE SHEM Semitic Elam – Elamites Asshur - Assyrians Arphaxad - Chaldeans Lud - Lydians Aram – Arameans (Syrians) ASIA MONGOLOID JAPETH Japethic Gomer - Cimmerians Magog - Scythians Madai - Medes Javan - Greeks Tubal – Tabali (Northeast of Cilicia Meshech – Mushki (near the Black Sea Tiras –Thracians EUROPE CAUCASOID HAM Hametic Cush – Ethiopians Mizraim – Egyptians Put – Lybians Canaan – Palestine AFRICA NEGROID

DISTRIBUTION OF THE HUMAN RACE Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. ONLY ONE RACE - Acts 17:26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ALL DESCENDED FROM NOAH - Genesis 9:18-19 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.

INTERMARRIAGE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT Deuteronomy 7:1-3 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.

THE REASON FOR THE PROHIBITION Deuteronomy 7:4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. Exodus 34:16 and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods. Judges 3:5-7 Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 6 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. 7 So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.

THE REASON FOR THE PROHIBITION 1 Kings 11:1-4 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites-- 2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.

JESUS’ GENEALOGY Five women are in the genealogy of Jesus. – Tamar – Rahab – Ruth – Bathsheba – Mary Two of them were of foreign origin. – Rahab a Canaanite – Ruth a Moabitess. Some believe Tamar was a Canaanite also

INTERMARRIAGE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT There were those who married those who were Gentile or pagan. – Boaz to Ruth a Moabitess – Judah to Shu’a a Canaanite – Gen 38:2 – Joseph to Asenath an Egyptian – Moses to Zipporah a Midianite – Solomon to many foreign wives IF YOU INTERMARRY - Joshua 23:13 know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you.

INTERMARRIAGE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Some were married to non-Christians – 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. – 1 Peter 3:1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,

INTERMARRIAGE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ENCOURAGEMENT TO MARRY IN THE LORD – 1 Corinthians 7:39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. – 1 Corinthians 9:5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? – 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

WHY DOES IT MATTER? Marriage is difficult even when you have everything going for you. Every area of difference will be a drain on your relationship. Your spirituality is the most important part of your life you need support in it not resistance. Christianity is not easy with your mate pulling against you toward the world. I have seen countless numbers of people drawn away from the church by marrying outside of their faith. Christians who marry within their faith after pre- marital counseling and attend church together 3 times weekly and pray together daily have a divorce rate of 1 in 39,000.

IF YOU ARE IN A MIXED-FAITH MARRIAGE Stay married - 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 Teach your mate - 1 Peter 3:1 – By the Word – study the bible with them – By example – live a faithful Christian life – Live a life led by the Spirit – Gal. 5:22-25 – Attend worship regularly – Heb. 10:25 To obey to God. To be an example to your mate. To be encouraged to you in your faith. Bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord – Eph. 6:4

GOD WARNS AGAINST MIXED- FAITH MARRIAGES BECAUSE HE WANT YOU TO BE IN HEAVEN FOR ETERNITY <><><> ARE YOU ALLOWING SOMETHING OR SOMEONE TO KEEP YOU FROM BEING THERE?

TONIGHT’S SERMON IMITATORS OF GOD