1. Marriage and Divorce

3. Peter: Strangers in the world (1 Pt 1:1) Live your lives as strangers here (1 Pt 1 :17) As aliens and strangers in the world, I urge you, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul (2 Pt 2:11)

4. Marriage and Divorce HOW DIFFERENT ARE WE (WHO CALL OURSELVES CHRIST- FOLLOWERS) FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD?

5. Marriage and Divorce Matthew 19:3-9 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

6. Marriage and Divorce “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one.

7. Marriage and Divorce Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

8. Marriage and Divorce Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

9. Marriage and Divorce Deuteronomy 24:1-4 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house

10. Marriage and Divorce she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled.

11. Marriage and Divorce That would be detestable in the eyes of the L ORD. Do not bring sin upon the land the L ORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

12. Marriage and Divorce Matthew 5:31 It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’

13. Marriage and Divorce JESUS CHANGES THE FOCUS emphasises the PERMANENCY OF MARRIAGE Jesus says that it’s important to have a correct view of marriage before trying to have a correct view of divorce.

14. Marriage and Divorce Matthew 19:3-9 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

15. Marriage and Divorce and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

16. Marriage and Divorce Malachi 2:13-16 Another thing you do: You flood the L ORD ’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?”

17. Marriage and Divorce It is because the L ORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the L ORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one?

18. Marriage and Divorce Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

19. Marriage and Divorce “I hate divorce,” says the L ORD God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the L ORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

20. Marriage and Divorce 1 Corinthians 7:10-16 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

21. Marriage and Divorce To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. …

22. Marriage and Divorce But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances.

23. Marriage and Divorce Matthew 19:7-8 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. Malachi 2:15-16 So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

24. Marriage and Divorce Malachi 2:15-16 So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel, …. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

25. Marriage and Divorce WHAT IS Hardness of heart? … Unguarded spirit? … Broken faith? … A REFUSAL TO FOLLOW GOD’S WILL AND GOD’S WAYS

26. Marriage and Divorce HARDNESS OF HEART NOT GUARDING YOUR SPIRIT RESISTANCE TO GOD AND HIS WAYS

27. Marriage and Divorce Jeremiah 3:8 I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.

28. Marriage and Divorce 1.We need to always hold a high view of Scripture 2.We also need graciousness towards those who struggle... and maybe fail 3.We need to continue to promote a high view of marriage and it’s permanency

29. Marriage and Divorce 4.We need to encourage and enable one another to work on our marriages 5.We need to love and support those who are struggling through the divorce process

30. Marriage and Divorce People who have been divorced are not in any way 2 nd class citizens or Christian failures DIVORCE IS NOT AN UNFORGIVABLE SIN

31. Marriage and Divorce 4.We need to encourage and enable one another to work on our marriages 5.We need to love and support those who are struggling through the divorce process 6.We need to guard against hard- heartedness ourselves