Matthew 5:31-32
Big Idea: Marriage Was Designed For Our Joy And For God’s Glory
3 Realizations Of A Christ-Centered Marriage:
1) Joy In My Marriage Comes Through Embracing God’s Design For Marriage (v. 31)
“And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”
-Mark 10:2-9
God’s Intentional Design For Marriage:
1) God is the creator & author of marriage (Genesis 2:15-25; Mark 10:6-12)
2) One man and one woman for one lifetime (Mark 10:6-12; Romans 7:2)
3) Complete unity: spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, financial (Mark 10:8-9)
4) Equally yoked as 2 believers (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)
5) Visible & active display of the Gospel for all (Ephesians 5:22-33)
6) Equal value but different roles (Ephesians 5:21-33)
7) Marriage is worship (Romans 1:21-32)
2) God Never Advocates For Divorce But Does Allow For It In Certain Situations (v. 32)
2 Biblical Grounds For Divorce:
1) When one spouse engages in sexual immorality (v. 32)
2) When an unbelieving spouse abandons a believing spouse (1 Corinthians 7:15)
5 Key Questions About Christ-Centered Marriage:
1) What about abuse?
2) Is divorce required even when it’s allowed?
3) What if I’m not happy in my marriage to an unbeliever? (1 Corinthians 7:12-14; 1 Peter 3:1-2)
4) I’m divorced, can I Biblically remarry? (v. 32; Mark 10:11-12)
5) I’m single/dating right now so what does all this mean to me?
How To Live Christ-Centered In My Singleness:
1) Pray continually & trust God fully
2) Embrace the gift of your singleness (1 Corinthians 7:7-8)
3) Don’t be unequally yoked
4) Have high standards & don’t settle
5) Commit to physical purity & spiritual maturity
3) The Gospel Always Breathes Life Into My Brokenness (v. 31-32)