A. Introduction
1. A covenant is a b __ __ __ __ __ __ agreement between two parties.
2. In the lives of most Christians three covenants will stand as most significant.
a. The "O __ __ Covenant" between God and A __ __ __ __ __ __
ref: Genesis 15:1-20
Hebrews 6:13-18
b. The "N __ __ Covenant"
(1) Prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34
(2) Ratified by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary
ref: Luke 22:20
This is why we celebrate c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (See 1 Corinthians 11:25-26).
Hebrews 9:15-17
The secular term "t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __" in regards to the New Covenant appears only here in Scripture.
(3) This New Covenant is seen in Scripture as "s __ __ __ __ __ __ __" to the old one,
since it is mediated by an eternal H __ __ __ P __ __ __ __ __: the risen Christ.
ref: Hebrews 8:1-13
Hebrews 9:1-18
Hebrews 12:22-24
(4) Every believer's participation in this New Covenant is "s __ __ __ __ __" (made authentic) by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
ref: 2 Corinthians 1:20-22
Ephesians 4:30
(5) Each believer is made a m __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of this New Covenant.
ref: 2 Corinthians 3:4-18
2 Corinthians 5:12-21
c. The M __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Covenant
(1) It is designed by God to be a "working model" of the New Covenant.
ref: Ephesians 5:22-32
(2) It is sealed by mutual v __ __ __.
(3) God's goal for marriage: p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ "oneness."
ref: Genesis 2:23-25
Malachi 2:10-17
Matthew 19:6
3. We continue our Summer Sermon Series today with a consideration of the Marriage Covenant.
B. Text: Matthew 5:27-32 [ NKJV ]
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."
1. It should be noted that many Bible scholars see these verses as including two separate teachings of Christ: one on the law and adultery, the other on the law and divorce. I have chosen to consider them as one, since both issues impact the marriage covenant.
2. In v.27-28 Jesus again supports and affirms the law of God -- the 7th Commandment, in this case -- even as He "fulfills" it -- adds fullness to its meaning and understanding -- with His own authority.
a. The overt act of adultery is sin, but so, too, is the immoral desire which may or may not lead to the sinful act.
(1) "Sexual impurity begins in the desires of the heart. Again, Jesus is not saying that lustful desires are identical to lustful deeds, and therefore a person might just as well go ahead and commit adultery. The desire and the deed are not identical, but, spiritually speaking, they are equivalent. The 'look' that Jesus mentioned was not a casual glance, but a constant stare with the purpose of lusting. It is possible for a man to glance at a beautiful woman and know that she is beautiful, but not lust after her. The man Jesus described looked at the woman for the purpose of feeding his inner sensual appetites as a substitute for the act. It was not accidental; it was planned." - Warren Wiersbe: Be Loyal
(2) Again Jesus clearly demonstrates how righteousness in the kingdom of God must far exceed the righteousness practiced by the Pharisees who, like the ancient scribes before them, had reduced the 7th Commandment to a bare-bones minimum. The tradition had been taught and handed down that any behaviour short of the explicit act of adultery with another man's wife was not condemned by the law. This led to the common practices of men keeping concubines and/or polygamy. Such a narrow interpretation of the sexual purity God intended for His people also resulted in liberal divorce rulings, a topic we shall consider later in this study.
b. It has been stated before that Jesus' points of contention in Matthew 5:21-48 were not with the law which God delivered to Israel at Sinai. Christ took issue with how God's law had been side-stepped, twisted and rendered inconsequential by the layers of tradition, slanted readings and "limitations of the letter" heaped upon it by generations of scribes and Pharisees.
(1) God's prohibition of adultery had been, for all intents and purposes, reduced in its application to the act of stealing another man's wife. "This," the common thinking ran, "is what God's real concern is!"
(2) But Jesus affirmed God's call to p __ __ __ __ __ in deed, in thought, and in intention.
(3) "The word 'adultery' means 'marriage breaker'; it has to do with violating one's covenant. This passage is addressed to the married in its primary meaning, although the teaching on pure thoughts and high regard for the personage of others is a valid secondary interpretation. Married or single, purity calls us to the highest regard for others, to see them as persons and not as bodies to be used for our pleasure. However, marriage is a covenant between two people for life, and adultery is to violate that covenant. Jesus expects His disciples to keep covenant in both deed and attitude. When two persons covenant to be husband and wife, for one to entertain thoughts of relating sexually to someone other than the spouse, makes that one guilty of breaking covenant. Such would have committed adultery against the spouse, if even only in thought. This is the highest standard of fidelity in marriage! Jesus is saying that not only is the act of immorality sin, but the inner desire for immoral experiences is sin as a violation of covenant. - Myron S. Augsburger: Matthew (Volume 1, The Communicator's Commentary)
3. In v.29-30 Jesus emphasizes how seriously His disciples are to regard His call to purity of thoughts as well as actions. "Anything that leads to lust," He is saying, "Must be given up -- cut out of your life with 'radical surgery.'"
a. The e __ __ is the "gate" through which temptation comes.
ref: Matthew 6:22-23
Mark 9:47-48
b. The h __ __ __ is the "tool" by which temptation moves from plan to implementation.
ref: Mark 9:43-44
c. This passage is to be understood metaphorically, of course.
"Jesus is expressing in metaphorical language the all-important truth that a limited but morally healthy life is better than a wider life which is morally depraved." - R.B.G. Tasker: The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Volume 1, Tyndale New Testament Commentary)
4. In v.31-32 Jesus moves to the subject of d __ __ __ __ __ __.
a. Malachi 2:10-17
God h __ __ __ __ divorce!
b. Deuteronomy 24:1-4
Divorce had, however, become part of the national law of Israel. Jesus in Matthew 19:1-9 explains that this "modification" of God's original intent for marriage as permanently binding was due to the "hardness" of the hearts of the men of Israel. The certificate of divorce -- which became legally binding upon its receipt by the wife before two witnesses -- permitted her to remarry without her new husband begin subjected to the stigmatism of an "adulterous" relationship!
(1) The phrase in this passage "... she finds no favour in his eyes..." had been interpreted any number of ways by the scribes down through the ages.
(2) There were two historically prevailing schools of thought on the rigidity of Moses' law.
- The School of Hillel (grandfather of Gamaliel, the renowned rabbi at whose feet the young Saul of Tarsus received his religious education) took a "liberal" view, stating that virtually anything about a man's wife that did not please him sufficiently allowed for legal divorce.
- The School of Shammai held that only unchastity constituted sufficient legal grounds for divorce. It is with this thinking that Jesus agreed, as is recorded in His confrontation with some Pharisees over this very question in Matthew 19:1-9.
Note in this passage that Jesus first reminds His interlocutors of God's original design for marriage: permanent oneness.
NOTE: Some in the School of Shammai were so strict in their reading of Moses' divorce law as to insist that unchastity was limited in its application to the husband's discovery after the wedding that his wife had not come to the marriage a virgin. Jesus' term in Matthew 19:8 ( "... except for fornication..." in the KJV and "...except for sexual immorality..." in later translations seems to indicate a broader understanding of unchasity, one which would include adulterous infidelity.
(3) The New Testament record appears to allow legitimate divorce on only two grounds.
- a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (Matthew 5:31-32, Matthew 19:8-9)
- a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __, particularly (exclusively?) when an unbelieving spouse voluntarily separates himself / herself from a believing spouse (1 Corinthians 7:10-16)
(4) Re-marriage after a divorce obtained under any other pretext constitutes adultery! It would appear from our study this morning that we have come upon a curious paradox:
- The chief cause of d __ __ __ __ __ __ is a __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
and - The chief cause of a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ is d __ __ __ __ __ __!
C. Application
1. Whenever we teach what the Bible says about divorce, we are addressing our thoughts and comments to your present marriage, or, in some cases, the future marriages of currently unmarried folks. It is not our intention to bombard you with guilt or flood you with remorse over events of your past -- unless, of course, some sinful behaviour in your past needs to be confessed before God.
2. There are in today's text at least three broad principles for all of us to ponder.
a. Sexual impurity involves much more than just overt acts of sexual sin. As we said last week, the law was limited by its ability to deal with only the outcomes of sinful acts. The law of Christ, on the other hand, calls us to purity of thoughts and intentions as well as good works. Christians, equipped as we are with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, are charged by our Lord to practice a righteousness which exceeds the righteous lifestyles of the Pharisees. Remember, men and women are not defiled externally; we are defiled from within!
ref: Jeremiah 17:9-10
Matthew 15:1-20
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
James 1:12-15
Each of us should ask ourselves the question: "What needs to be excised from my life immediately?" Whatever God brings to your mind must be acted upon without delay.
b. God takes the marriage covenant very s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __. The biblical enjoinder against "rash vows" was given to us by God for that very reason!
ref: Judges 11:29-40
Proverbs 20:24-25
James 4:13-16
Matthew 5:33-37
c. Divorce must never be seen as a convenient way out of a difficult marriage. Divorce which is consistent with Scriptural limitations is as final as death itself! We dare not treat so great and terrible a concept in a cavalier fashion. And even when your spouse has created a marriage situation which the Bible indicates provides legitimate grounds for divorce, God's fondest desire is that your marriage be saved through f __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and r __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
(1) A proper regard for what we call "Holy Matrimony" demonstrated in full view of our culture's staggering divorce rate may be the most effective way for believers to obey Christ's call for us to bring "s __ __ __" and "l __ __ __ __" to our sinful world.
(2) This requires a ferocious commitment to honour the marriage covenant. HUSBANDS: Take the lead here! YOUNG WOMEN: Don't dare settle for anything less than a young man who is sincerely committed to Christian Marriage on God's strictest terms! SINGLE PARENTS: Don't be chained to your past -- God will forgive you! Begin now to model your commitment to obey God's present will for you before your children!
D I S C U S S I O N G U I D E
1. Read Leviticus 20:10 and John 8:1-12.
a. Could Jesus have been rightly accused of defying the law? _____ Why, or why not?
b. What did Jesus mean when he told the woman, "Neither do I condemn you..."?
c. List three lessons Jesus taught by means of this incident.
2. How should the local church deal with known infidelity in its midst?
3. What if that infidelity leads, at last, to divorce, and the corresponding adulterers are themselves married and continue worshipping in the same local church as their ex-spouses. ( Such a situation actually occurred in a church I attended.) How should the church deal with this situation?
4. Read Matthew 19:1-10.
a. In what way were the Pharisees testing Jesus here?
b. What was the significance of His quoting from Genesis 2 in v.4-6?
c. Read Mark 10:1-10 and Luke 16:18. How do you account for the fact that the other synoptic records of Jesus' teaching on this subject omit the "...except for fornication..." qualifier?
d. What do you make of Jesus' disciples' response to His teaching in Matthew 19:10?
5. Read 1 Corinthians 7:1-9.
a. What does v.2 mean?
b. Would you give this advice to your son or daughter? _____ Why, or why not?
c. Why might v.3-5 have been considered "radical" in their time?
d. What does Paul mean in v.6?
6. Read 1 Corinthians 7:10-16.
a. In what way could a believing spouse "sanctify" his / her mate?
b. How would you counsel a believing spouse who is being physically abused by an unbelieving spouse who has no desire to quit the marriage?
