Sermon Tone Analysis

*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*

*/Part 33: What God Has Joined Together/*

*Matthew 19:3-9*

*/September 26, 2010/*

 

 

*Scripture reading: Matt 19:3-9 (Michel)*

 

Intro

 

Check out the art work.

The good old days?

This week I was reading about how *rampant* *divorce* has become.

One author observed sarcastically that some women seem to date their past not by *which* *year* it by which *marriage* they were on.

·         What makes this example worth mentioning is that he was writing in the *50’s*, not *1950’s*, but the original 50’s.

We have this idea that divorce is much more common now than back in “*olden* *days*,” but it was just as common, and even *more* *acceptable* in NT times as it is now.

It was in this *context* that they Pharisees addressed Jesus:

 

*Matthew 19:3-12 *  3 ¶ 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?”

Some *background*: There was a *debate* among the Pharisees.

One group said adultery was the only *grounds* for *divorce*.

But the other said could be anything displeasing, even burning supper.

·         As bad as our culture is, I have never heard “*poor* *cooking* skills” cited as the reason for divorce!

They were trying to pull Jesus into this fight.

They tried to make it a nice safe *political* *debate*.

They made it *hobby* of *nuancing* *laws* and *rulings*, like *fantasy* *football*.

·         They *ignored* all of the *pain* and *suffering* caused by their callous attitude – their debate *affected* *real* *people*.

Remember that Jesus came to “*fulfill* the *Law*,” to show its *intended* *purpose*, to *limit* sin, and reduce suffering.

Like they always did, the Pharisees looked for *workarounds* so that they could do what *they* *wanted* to do.

·         I always *thought* this passage was about *divorce* and *remarriage* – it’s *actually* about *marriage*

 

Jesus is trying to show them *God’s* *heart* towards marriage, and in doing so begins a *radically* *different* *perspective* towards marriage that we *still* *hold*.

What God has joined together

 

4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’  5 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’?

6 So they are no longer two, but one.

Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

(*Cut* *apple*) I want to *show* *you* *something* that you may not have noticed: Jesus is *quoting* straight from *Genesis*.

When it says that “he made them *male* and *female*” it means that *together*, male and female, they *reflected* *God’s* image.

Furthermore, it says that he created them male and female *before* he *made* *Eve*.

In other words, I think Adam was initially *complete* within himself, both *masculine* and *feminine*.

That’s *weird* to think about, isn’t it?

What kind of *movies* would he like?

Would he argue with himself about *getting* *directions*?

·         This is why Eve had to be created by taking a *part* of *Adam* out of him (Gen.

2:21).

In other words, God *tore* *Adam* into two (*pull* *apple* apart), so that he *find* his *completion* in her.

It’s almost as if we are not so much “*united*” with our spouse and “*reunited*.”

·         Husband and wife are bonded together in a way we can’t even *understand* – a *physical*, *emotional*, and *spiritual* union.

You complete me

 

When *Jerry* *McGuire* said “You complete me” he was uttering a profound theological truth.

The *two* are *stronger* *together* than they could ever be apart.

·         I read that *dad’s* let their children *wander* *further* than mothers, which is important because it teaches independence.

·         He’s not being *irresponsible*, he’s *training* them!

It’s like mixing *flour*, *sugar*, *butter*, *eggs*, and *chocolate* chips together – apart they are not that great, but together they find their *united* *purpose*.

Let no man separate

 

And also like *cookie* *batter*, once it’s mixed together, they *can’t* be *pulled* *apart*.

·         Literally, they cannot be pulled apart – once you are united in marriage, you will never *truly* be *separated* from them.

Through marriage, God *reconnects* a *man* and *woman*, they cannot be truly taken apart.

Their souls will *always* be *joined*.

It’s like *conjoined* *twins* – separating them is very dangerous because they share vital organs.

When you think of *miracle* of “the *two* *becoming* *one* flesh” and the *tragedy* of pulling them *apart*, you can understand why Jesus was so frustrated by their *caviler* *attitude*.

To singles

 

BTW: This does not mean that if you are not married you are *not* *complete* – you must find your *completion* in *God*.

There are things you can learn from God and ways that you can serve God that married people cannot.

·         No one can have *everything*, but everyone can be *content*.

While I am at it: Even if you are *not* *married*, I still want you to *pay* *attention*, because you maybe someday and because you may be *speaking* *into* the life of married friends.

yeah, but...

Not surprisingly, the Pharisees *reacted* to this.

Keep in mind that many of them had probably been *divorced* – they were trying to *justify* themselves.

7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.

But it was not this way from the beginning.

In other words, divorce was an *accommodation* for sin.

It wasn’t something God *created* or *wanted*, but a necessity because of hard hearts – *hearts* *not* *submitted* to God.

 

·         Divorce is yet another *proof* that we live in a *fallen* *world*.

It’s kind of like *keys*.

I wish that I didn’t need keys, because I keep losing them.

I wish it was like out in the country back in the day when you could keep your house unlocked and your keys in the car, but I still *lock* my *house* when I leave!

·         When Marilyn’s *purse* was *stolen* we had to rekey the house, all a reminder of effects of sin on our world.

I remember listening to a *missionary* to the Middle East share how *divorce* was *illegal* in that country.

I thought, “Wow, that’s great!” but he went on to tell about one woman whose husband wanted to get remarried, so he kept trying to kill her.

 

·         God permitted *commanded* *divorce* because it was the *lesser* of *two* *evils*.

Divorce was a *mercy* that *protected* *women* – else wise a man could leave and she couldn’t remarry and provide for herself.

PERMISSIBLE causes for divorce

 

9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

This is one of the most studied passages of Scripture, but I am afraid we have *warped* *Jesus’* *intent* here:

 

Jesus meant to show us *God’s* *heart* for marriage, his deep *desire* to see a husband and wife *struggle* and *strive* to become *one*, to *reflect* his *image*, and demonstrate that *love* to *children*.

·         *Like* the *Pharisees*, we’ve turned it into a *new* *set* of laws by which we determine if a *divorce* is “*ok*.”

Let’s get back to the purpose: Divorce is *never* “*ok*,” it always *tears* *apart* of what God has made.

It’s like a *man* *made* *fire* destroying your *favorite* *forest*.

When you see a beautiful *family* *dog*, dead alongside the road, you should feel sad for that family, even though you don’t know them.

You should feel that same way even when you read about the latest *celebrity* *divorce*.

·         That is how God *feels* about *every* *divorce* it is always tearing apart something of his.

Let me state it even stronger – *divorce* is *always* a sin.

That doesn’t mean a person is always *sinning* by *filing* for a divorce.

They may need to because of their *spouses* *hardness* of *heart*.

·         Sin is what hurts *us*, *other*, and damages our *relationship* with *God*, and divorce always does *two* of *those*, usually all *three*.

Unforgivable sin?

At the same time, I want to say just as strongly that it is *not* the *unforgivable* sin.

For all *intents* and *purpose*, it has become that in *many* *churches*.

As I read a studied many church’s statements on divorce, I think they missed the point.

If the Pharisees became *too* *cavalier* about divorce, some *church* have become *too* *harsh*.

·         As with all sin, God is able to *forgive*, *redeem*, and *restore*.

Just cause

 

Again, this passage is *more* *about* *marriage* then divorce and remarriage, but *divorce* and *remarriage* are things that affects everyone of us – we have all been *affected* to *some* *degree*.

Accordingly, I need to spend a little more time discussing them, to bring *conviction* and *comfort* – conviction for those who have taken divorce *too* *lightly*, and comfort for the *plagued* by *guilt*.