Topical Sermons Power Point Show

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:2-12

Part 2

God Hates Divorce (2)

Intro.
1. Divorce is the device of Satan, the boon of lawyers & the bane of society. It is not from God, Mal. 2:16; Mark 10:2-9 (Gen. 2:24).

2. God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16). (See Part 1)

a. Due to the hardened hearts of men, God (through Moses) regulated the practice (Matt. 19:7-8; 5:31; Deut. 24:1-4).

b. Moses is contrasted with Jesus, Matt. 19:7-9.

3. Whoever separates (chorizo, sunders) what God has joined together (whoever destroys marriage) faces eternal wrath of God, Heb. 13:4.

I. WHY GOD HATES DIVORCE (SUNDERING WHAT HE HAS JOINED TOGETHER).
A. It Violates the Marriage Vow, Mal. 2:14-16 (of faithfulness & duty).
1. Divorce downplays the importance of the marriage vow, Eccl. 5:4-5; Ezek. 16:8, 15, 32, 59. (Oath & covenant: Solemn vow of alliance, Mal. 2:14; Prov. 2:17)
2. Sundering forgets that God is included in the vow that was made (He gave marriage – Obligated to Him in it).
B. It Defiles What God Loves, Mal. 2:10-12.
1. God loves & honors marriage, Gen. 2:18.
2. Sundering it is an affront to God who gave us our marriage (our lifelong companion), Heb. 13:4.
C. It Denies the Consequences it Causes, Rom. 7:2-3.

1. To the spouse. cf. Mal. 2:13
a. Left to pick up the pieces of a broken home, a broken heart & a broken life.
b. Spiritual trauma: He/she is still bound to the obligations God established to remain unmarried or be reconciled (Matt. 5:32; 1 Cor. 7:11).
c. Emotional trauma: Grief, fear, anger, depression, etc.
d. Financial trauma: Bills, new obligations, less income.
2. To the family. Left with division, isolation, uncertainty, insecurity, etc. [Can you imagine Jesus putting away His wife, the church? (May the church put away Jesus & marry another? Rom. 7:4; 2 Cor. 11:2-3)]
3. To the local church. Hurts the influence of God’s people & can have a leavening effect, making it easier for others to consider divorce as an option to a troubled marriage.

4. To oneself. Damage to your example & influence, lost without repentance; after repentance the very real possibility of remaining celibate to be right with God (Matt. 19:12).
D. It Destroys Children, Ezek. 16:20-21.
1. Children are “passed through the fire” of divorce & distorted by the emotional “flames” of its trauma (fear, anger, grief, depression, worry & anxiety, sadness, self-blame, shame, etc.).
2. Divorce distorts & retards children spiritually, emotionally & developmentally; it wrenches from their lives the safety & security of family.

Conclusion

1. Christians must honor their marriages & all scriptural marriages.
2. We must teach & live the permanency of marriage & that God hates divorce (Mal. 2:16).
3. We cannot please God by destroying what He ordains, blesses, loves & honors (Matt. 19:6).
4. We must help those in troubled marriages to save their marriages; not look for ways to “get out” of what God has joined together.

5. We must always put God first & serve Christ before any thing or any person (Lk. 18:29-30; 1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23).

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