1. Till Death do us Part Jesus on Divorce in the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:31,32

2. Till Death do us part “If we believe the Bible is totally true, we cannot dodge its claims on our lives in sensitive areas, such as divorce”. Francis Schaeffer speaking at the 1982 International council on Biblical Inerrancy

3. Till Death do us part Two foundational questions: What IS marriage? What is marriage’s PURPOSE?

4. Till Death do us part What is marriage? Is it a contract? Is it a covenant?

5. Till Death do us part Most of many of us are in contracts daily: Cell phone providers Pay television Internet providers Bank loans Etc

6. Till Death do us part Contracts feature: 2 or more parties Terms of duties and responsibilities Dissolvent if obligations are not met satisfactorily

7. Till Death do us part Contract If one or more parties fail to uphold their obligations under the contract (whether stated or implied) the contract itself is then null and void (there may be penalties, but all parties are then free from any further obligations)

8. Till Death do us part God deals with people through covenants: Noah (Not to destroy the earth) Abraham (a nation, a people, a Messiah) Moses (The Law) David (A King over His people) Jesus (Salvation to all who believe)

9. Till Death do us part Features of a Covenant: Entered into by two or more parties Have terms to be fulfilled (I promise to..) Have Oaths taken (And if I do not..) Have accompanying signs (visible) Have witnesses

10. Till Death do us part Covenants CANNOT be dissolved God gave terms of the covenants and accompanying blessings and cursing for obedience or disobedience But promised they were lasting

11. Till Death do us part Is marriage a contract or covenant? Society typically treats marriage as a covenant when carrying out the ceremony, but then defaults to a contract afterwards Consider most wedding ceremonies:

12. Till Death do us part We treat God as a part of the covenant We have terms We take vows We have witnesses We have a sign/signs

13. Till Death do us part How does God view marriage? Did He design it to be a contract or covenant? Important! Marriage is used in numerous places in the NT to signify salvation (The New Covenant)

14. Till Death do us part Bride/Bridegroom references: Matthew: 9/25 Mark: 2 Luke 5 John 2/ Revelation 18/19/21/22

15. Till Death do us part Husbands/Wives 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” [c] 32 This is a profound mystery— but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.c Ephesians 5

16. Till Death do us part Weddings/Marriage ceremonies and feasts Matthew 22/25 Luke 12/14 Revelation 19

17. Till Death do us part Scripture clearly indicates that God sees marriage as a special covenant, not a contract. Therefore, they cannot simply be dissolved With 2 exceptions:

18. Till Death do us part In the case of pornea Matthew 5:32 “except for adultery” “except for sexual immorality”

19. Till Death do us part Adultery is grounds for divorce Adultery does not demand divorce Grace can/should intercede

20. Till Death do us part In the case of being abandoned by an unbelieving spouse 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 When a believer is married to an unbeliever, remain married, unless they leave Then the believing spouse is not bound

21. Till Death do us part What is God’s PURPOSE for us in marriage? Marriage Demonstrates Salvation and Being a disciple This is why marriage/weddings are used extensively as an illustration of the Gospel

22. Till Death do us part 1 st -Marriage teaches us to LOVE unconditionally Love beyond faults

23. Till Death do us part 2- Marriage teaches us to forgive Forgiveness saves marriage

24. Till Death do us part 3- Marriage exposes our own sin It teaches that WE need to be forgiven

25. Till Death do us part 4- Marriage teaches us how to serve others We serve our spouse with humility and without recognition

26. Till Death do us part 5- Marriage teaches us to persevere There is not one married person who hasn’t at some time thought about calling it quits

27. Till Death do us part Before engagement/dating, make a firm commitment about how/why In your engagement, make certain to commit In your marriage, make time to recommit

28. Till Death do us part Take a moment this morning, to commit or recommit Commit to God, your spouse or your future spouse

29. Till Death do us part