The Question Of Divorce Series

The Question of Divorce

New Liberty Christian Church, Veedersburg , IN on September 16 2012 Richard T. McQuinn, Pastor

TEXT: MATTHEW 5:31-32

Jesus said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written divorce paper. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife forces her to be guilty of adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if she has sexual relations with another man. Anyone who marries that divorced woman is guilty of adultery.

The subject this morning I am sorry to say, touches all of us in one way or another. It has either visited our own homes, our families, our friends, or our neighbors. Every night on the television it is reported to us what movie or rich stars are breaking up and getting a divorce.

I will not be exhaustive on this subject today. Time nor energy will permit that. There is just too much material here for us to be complete. I will however give you the Bibles teaching on this hellish subject. I will seek to be plain, simple and truthful. My aim is not to condemn or to bring guilt on anyone. It is to lay it out in simple terms what the teaching of Jesus was on divorce.

Importantly you need to know at the get-go that God Almighty forgives and restores all bad relationships when repentance is shown and forgiveness is asked.

You well know the story of David and Bathsheba. A short version is that it was a one night stand. It was an affair of the flesh. The lust of the flesh as Jesus says. It progressed to a cover up, a murder, a marriage, the death of a child that was conceived in adultery outside of marriage. Here we are today looking at this history lesson viewing the lives of people in our culture.

When you see David and Bathsheba you see that they did get married. They did have a child between them. That child was Solomon. Solomon was listed in the linage of Jesus. If and when you read Proverbs 31 you will realize that probably Bathsheba was the author and you will see a very beautiful picture of a godly woman in the entire Bible.

The sword never left the family of David. Right away you must see forgiveness, healing and restoration! You see a marriage, a godly husband and a godly wife.

God Almighty specializes in restoring and cleansing. He takes that which has been broken and makes it brand new again. So let’s begin today at square one realizing that the human race is not perfect, but if we all come to Him and seek His will, repenting of our sins and turning away from the ugly stuff of our lives then we are as pure as when we were born in the eyes of God. The only thing we can do about the past is to receive forgiveness.

The only thing we can do about the present is to live it on the basis of a promise. The past forgiven and the future a promise. Today let us all band together and move forward knowing that our walk has to be on Gods Word.

You remember full well ---Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery! Adultery is having sexual relationship with another person who is married to someone else. You go to bed with a married person who is not your mate. The term fornication is used to describe sexual relationship with a person who is not married to anyone. The one night stand. You are to guard your heart on all of this.

You and I have to understand the background of these two short verses of Jesus. The crowd Jesus is speaking to is very quiet as He brings to them a new understanding of getting along with your husband/wife.

The background of this text, historically is from the Roman view of marriage. The Romans had a high view of marriage and the family. The father in each home was supreme. He was THE law in the home. He dictated all of the affaires of the wife and children. That respect would continue as long as the father was living. You did not cross the old man! It does not matter how much prestige the son or daughter had or how rich they had become, they always respected and honored their fathers.

As a result of this belief, in the first 500 years of Roman rule there was not one single shed of evidence that shows even one divorce. Not one! If you have studied history then you know that the Romans conquered the Greeks militarily, but it was the Greeks that conquered the Romans morally.

In the Greek world promiscuity, marriage and divorce were abounding everywhere. Prostitution was an every day occurrence. This was a very immoral society. The Romans could have their prostitutes, their concubines and their wives. This part of history shows that they were marring and divorcing and marring and divorcing every day. It no longer meant anything to be married.