Be Faithful to God’s Word, Your Wedding Covenant, and The Gospel (Luke 16:16-18)

Dr. Deric Thomas

[16] “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it ( or everyone is forcefully urged into it). [17] But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void. [18] “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

Notes:

[16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable… [2Tim 3:16 ESV]
[20] …no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. [21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. [2Pet 1:20-21 ESV]
[7] The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul… [Psa 19:7 ESV]

[3] …Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” [4] He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, [5] and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? [6] So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” [7] They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” [8] He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. [9] And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” [Matt 19:3-9 ESV]
[32] …everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. [Matt 5:32 ESV]

[13] If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. …[15] But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. [1Cor 7:13, 15 ESV]

[14] …the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. [15] Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. [16] “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.” [Mal 2:14-16]

[32] He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. [33] He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. [Pro 6:32-33 ESV]

Message Summary:
1. God’s moral law is a reflection of His character, and is therefore unchanging and good.
2. God’s spokesmen are called to speak His truth in love. They should be full of both grace and truth.
3. John the Baptist was the prophet used by God to shift His emphasis to an even greater degree onto the good news of Jesus Christ and God’s eternal kingdom.
4. You should passionately and earnestly give your entire life and heart to Christ and His kingdom today if you have not already. 5. Marriage is one of God’s gifts to humanity that is to be between one man and one woman. God’s design was for marriage to be a lifelong covenant.
6. Marriage is at times compromised in this fallen world. Divorce is a result of sin, but is not always sinful.
7. Many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were trying to use God’s law to get their own selfish and sinful way instead of humbly submitting to it for their good and God’s glory.
8. Because we are all under satanic attack and have all sinned, it is important for us to look to the grace, mercy, patience, and forgiveness of God in all situations, particularly related to marriage, family, and other close relationships. We can do this without compromising God’s holiness and truth.