The message, preached on September 5th, 2010, covered 1 Corinthians 7, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Following Jesus involves being ourselves—but redeemed, maximizing our service, and being wholly His. Even making the decision about whether to marry or not, and how to live as a married person or a single, needs to be submitted to Jesus Christ. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.
Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marriage. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Distracted Devotion
ALL – Psalm 32:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 21:5-7
OT – Nehemiah 3:15-5:13
NT – 1 Corinthians 7:20-40
Interesting passage for the day: I am saying this to help you, not to try to keep you from marrying. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few other things as possible to distract your attention from him. – 1 Corinthians 7:35, The Living Bible
Thought: Marriage is good. God created it, designed it, gave it to man and woman as a gift. Marriage is good, and it is a good thing to get married.
But marriage can also be an obsession. Young men and women crave the deep relationship of marriage and pursue one another with the intensity of a starving man being given his first opportunity at food. They devote themselves to marriage and its pleasures. God becomes a distraction.
Even when marriage isn’t an obsession, it still consumes. It consumes time. It consumes resources. Again, marriage is good, and time and resources may be spent doing good things to build up a marriage. To be married responsibly requires a man and a woman to take on the full-time responsibility of nurturing one another—mind, heart, and body—and usually also requires them to carry the responsibility for children. Marriage consumes married people. And even in a good marriage, it is easy for God to be a distraction.
God did not create us to see Him as a distraction. He created us to know Him, to love Him, to obey Him, to worship Him, to serve Him in wholehearted devotion. In some ways, singles have an advantage over married couples. Singles can most easily make sure that their primary relationship is with God, that their fullest love is for God, that their time is devoted to God. Unfortunately, too many singles fill their lives with alternative loves, too, whether work or entertainment or just lounging around. But single or married, God is God, and He calls us to devote our lives to Him. Single or married, our devotion to Jesus Christ should spur us toward creative self-discipline that discovers and invests time, resources, energy and emotion into loving and serving Him.
Single, married, working, unemployed, sickly, strong, rich, poor – our status does not cancel out Jesus Christ’s appeal to us, “Come, follow me.”
Question: Whatever your status in life, how have you been distracted from following Jesus wholeheartedly? How could you live the very life you already have, but live that life fully for Jesus?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 21:5-7
OT – Nehemiah 3:15-5:13
NT – 1 Corinthians 7:20-40
Interesting passage for the day: I am saying this to help you, not to try to keep you from marrying. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few other things as possible to distract your attention from him. – 1 Corinthians 7:35, The Living Bible
Thought: Marriage is good. God created it, designed it, gave it to man and woman as a gift. Marriage is good, and it is a good thing to get married.
But marriage can also be an obsession. Young men and women crave the deep relationship of marriage and pursue one another with the intensity of a starving man being given his first opportunity at food. They devote themselves to marriage and its pleasures. God becomes a distraction.
Even when marriage isn’t an obsession, it still consumes. It consumes time. It consumes resources. Again, marriage is good, and time and resources may be spent doing good things to build up a marriage. To be married responsibly requires a man and a woman to take on the full-time responsibility of nurturing one another—mind, heart, and body—and usually also requires them to carry the responsibility for children. Marriage consumes married people. And even in a good marriage, it is easy for God to be a distraction.
God did not create us to see Him as a distraction. He created us to know Him, to love Him, to obey Him, to worship Him, to serve Him in wholehearted devotion. In some ways, singles have an advantage over married couples. Singles can most easily make sure that their primary relationship is with God, that their fullest love is for God, that their time is devoted to God. Unfortunately, too many singles fill their lives with alternative loves, too, whether work or entertainment or just lounging around. But single or married, God is God, and He calls us to devote our lives to Him. Single or married, our devotion to Jesus Christ should spur us toward creative self-discipline that discovers and invests time, resources, energy and emotion into loving and serving Him.
Single, married, working, unemployed, sickly, strong, rich, poor – our status does not cancel out Jesus Christ’s appeal to us, “Come, follow me.”
Question: Whatever your status in life, how have you been distracted from following Jesus wholeheartedly? How could you live the very life you already have, but live that life fully for Jesus?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Are You Living Together? Or Married?
Quick thought, and I haven't thought it through yet, but I was interested in making sure I didn't lose it. I was talking with a close friend the other day, and we talked about how some believers attend and serve the same church faithfully for years without becoming members. They're loved, they're appreciated, they're needed. It seems ok, doesn't it?
Without taking the analogy too far, should we view membership in a local church as being like marriage? Think about it. Some people live together and act like they're married--for years, sometimes. At that point, getting married can feel like it's just about a "piece of paper." But it's more than that. Marriage adds a degree of commitment that wasn't actually there before. It adds even more responsibility. It communicates something not just about the fact that people enjoy and love one another, but about the work they're willing to put into the relationship to help one another maintain that love and grow together day by day.
Now, some people live like they're church members--for years, even. Is membership still important at that point?
Thoughts?
Without taking the analogy too far, should we view membership in a local church as being like marriage? Think about it. Some people live together and act like they're married--for years, sometimes. At that point, getting married can feel like it's just about a "piece of paper." But it's more than that. Marriage adds a degree of commitment that wasn't actually there before. It adds even more responsibility. It communicates something not just about the fact that people enjoy and love one another, but about the work they're willing to put into the relationship to help one another maintain that love and grow together day by day.
Now, some people live like they're church members--for years, even. Is membership still important at that point?
Thoughts?
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Marriage is a Hard Commitment
I hope you remembered to check the reading chart yesterday. If not, that’s ok. Yesterday’s reading was:
ALL – Psalm 22:19-31
ALL – Proverbs 5:15-21
OT – Exodus 4:1-5:21
NT – Matthew 18:1-20
It was a wonderful reading. But if you weren’t able to read it, don’t feel obliged to “catch up.” Bible reading shouldn’t be a burden, but a joy! So, unless catching up IS your joy, feel free just to read along with me today:
ALL – Psalm 23:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 5:22-23
OT – Exodus 5:22-7:25
NT – Matthew 18:21-19:12
I was torn today, because this section of Matthew includes the parable of the unmerciful servant—one of my favorite parables teaching one of my favorite lessons. On the other hand, this section of Matthew’s gospel also deals with marriage and divorce, and I’m quickly finding out the reality of how deeply men and women in our church need to hear Jesus’ message here.
Before I start, let me say that I know that many marriages that end in divorce do so not because both partners wanted a divorce, but because one partner wanted a divorce. There may be blame to share (oftentimes) in terms of the reality that marriage among Christians involves two sinners saved by grace coming together under Christ, each one working to obey Him and yet sometimes failing. Neither spouse is exempt from the charge, “You sinned against me and hurt me.” Not entirely. But the responsibility for divorce often lies in the lap of just one spouse—the one who chooses to stop forgiving the other spouse’s sin and “can’t put up with it anymore!” And to see that forgiveness is a responsibility, please be sure to read the parable of the unmerciful servant in today’s reading.
With that said, let’s turn to the question of marriage. In response to the Pharisees’ question about whether Jesus permitted divorce, He said:
Don’t you read the Scriptures? In them it is written that at the beginning God created man and woman and that a man should leave his father and mother, and be forever united to his wife. The two shall become one—no longer two, but one! And no man may divorce what God has joined together. – Matthew 19:4-6, The Living Bible
Marriage is a lifetime commitment. Period. Did your spouse hurt you? Every couple since Adam and Eve has sinned against each other. Believe it or not, no matter how badly you’ve been hurt, you share a common experience with millions of other people throughout the course of history. But Jesus says that “no man may divorce what God has joined together.”
The Pharisees, of course, thought they had some justification for divorce in the law of Moses (which God had given—it wasn’t just Moses’ thoughts, as Jesus Himself would agree). Moses permitted divorce. But Jesus responds:
Moses did that in recognition of your hard and evil hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. – Matthew 19:8, The Living Bible
So even in the law of Moses, divorce is not a good thing. It’s a recognition of rebellious, sinful hearts. Jesus went on to say:
And I tell you this, that anyone who divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. – Matthew 19:9, The Living Bible
So not only is divorce utterly wrong, but divorce and remarriage to another is wrong. Jesus calls it adultery! Adultery! Legalized adultery, made “ok” by a certificate, but utterly wrong in God’s eyes. The only instance in which remarriage following divorce is not considered adultery is when divorce follows a spouse’s adultery.
Even Jesus’ disciples couldn’t swallow this one:
If that is how it is, it is better not to marry! – Matthew 19:10, The Living Bible
I hope those of you who are married are listening, but at this point I hope even more that those who are NOT married are listening—not to me, but to Jesus’ disciples. When they heard Jesus’ response to the Pharisees, it scared them. It made them reconsider the whole question of whether they even wanted to be married or not. Under the laws and customs of the day (like in our own day), marriage was a “safe” risk. If it “didn’t work out,” you could just get a divorce. So sure, why not marry? Right?
But according to what Jesus taught, marriage is NOT a “safe” risk. It is a dangerous, lifelong commitment. It is a pledge to stay faithful to a spouse no matter how much it hurts—and when you hear “no matter how much it hurts,” that means NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOUR SPOUSE HURTS YOU. Don’t get me wrong. It is not a license for spousal abuse, a license to hurt one another as much as we feel like because no one’s allowed to get a divorce anyway. But the fact of the matter is, marriage is a commitment. It is often a tough commitment. And Jesus’ command concerning marriage is God’s intention from the beginning: “No man may divorce what God has joined together.”
I’ll close by saying again that not everyone who has experienced divorce has disobeyed God, because many who have been divorced were divorced against their will as they worked to stay faithful to their spouses in obedience to Jesus. Not everyone who is divorced is guilty of the sin of divorce.
But marriage is a hard, lifelong commitment. Do not enter into it lightly or thinking that divorce is a ticket to freedom whenever you need out. Divorce is not a ticket to freedom, but to slavery to sin. Avoid it like the plague.
Responses?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Psalm 22:19-31
ALL – Proverbs 5:15-21
OT – Exodus 4:1-5:21
NT – Matthew 18:1-20
It was a wonderful reading. But if you weren’t able to read it, don’t feel obliged to “catch up.” Bible reading shouldn’t be a burden, but a joy! So, unless catching up IS your joy, feel free just to read along with me today:
ALL – Psalm 23:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 5:22-23
OT – Exodus 5:22-7:25
NT – Matthew 18:21-19:12
I was torn today, because this section of Matthew includes the parable of the unmerciful servant—one of my favorite parables teaching one of my favorite lessons. On the other hand, this section of Matthew’s gospel also deals with marriage and divorce, and I’m quickly finding out the reality of how deeply men and women in our church need to hear Jesus’ message here.
Before I start, let me say that I know that many marriages that end in divorce do so not because both partners wanted a divorce, but because one partner wanted a divorce. There may be blame to share (oftentimes) in terms of the reality that marriage among Christians involves two sinners saved by grace coming together under Christ, each one working to obey Him and yet sometimes failing. Neither spouse is exempt from the charge, “You sinned against me and hurt me.” Not entirely. But the responsibility for divorce often lies in the lap of just one spouse—the one who chooses to stop forgiving the other spouse’s sin and “can’t put up with it anymore!” And to see that forgiveness is a responsibility, please be sure to read the parable of the unmerciful servant in today’s reading.
With that said, let’s turn to the question of marriage. In response to the Pharisees’ question about whether Jesus permitted divorce, He said:
Don’t you read the Scriptures? In them it is written that at the beginning God created man and woman and that a man should leave his father and mother, and be forever united to his wife. The two shall become one—no longer two, but one! And no man may divorce what God has joined together. – Matthew 19:4-6, The Living Bible
Marriage is a lifetime commitment. Period. Did your spouse hurt you? Every couple since Adam and Eve has sinned against each other. Believe it or not, no matter how badly you’ve been hurt, you share a common experience with millions of other people throughout the course of history. But Jesus says that “no man may divorce what God has joined together.”
The Pharisees, of course, thought they had some justification for divorce in the law of Moses (which God had given—it wasn’t just Moses’ thoughts, as Jesus Himself would agree). Moses permitted divorce. But Jesus responds:
Moses did that in recognition of your hard and evil hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. – Matthew 19:8, The Living Bible
So even in the law of Moses, divorce is not a good thing. It’s a recognition of rebellious, sinful hearts. Jesus went on to say:
And I tell you this, that anyone who divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. – Matthew 19:9, The Living Bible
So not only is divorce utterly wrong, but divorce and remarriage to another is wrong. Jesus calls it adultery! Adultery! Legalized adultery, made “ok” by a certificate, but utterly wrong in God’s eyes. The only instance in which remarriage following divorce is not considered adultery is when divorce follows a spouse’s adultery.
Even Jesus’ disciples couldn’t swallow this one:
If that is how it is, it is better not to marry! – Matthew 19:10, The Living Bible
I hope those of you who are married are listening, but at this point I hope even more that those who are NOT married are listening—not to me, but to Jesus’ disciples. When they heard Jesus’ response to the Pharisees, it scared them. It made them reconsider the whole question of whether they even wanted to be married or not. Under the laws and customs of the day (like in our own day), marriage was a “safe” risk. If it “didn’t work out,” you could just get a divorce. So sure, why not marry? Right?
But according to what Jesus taught, marriage is NOT a “safe” risk. It is a dangerous, lifelong commitment. It is a pledge to stay faithful to a spouse no matter how much it hurts—and when you hear “no matter how much it hurts,” that means NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOUR SPOUSE HURTS YOU. Don’t get me wrong. It is not a license for spousal abuse, a license to hurt one another as much as we feel like because no one’s allowed to get a divorce anyway. But the fact of the matter is, marriage is a commitment. It is often a tough commitment. And Jesus’ command concerning marriage is God’s intention from the beginning: “No man may divorce what God has joined together.”
I’ll close by saying again that not everyone who has experienced divorce has disobeyed God, because many who have been divorced were divorced against their will as they worked to stay faithful to their spouses in obedience to Jesus. Not everyone who is divorced is guilty of the sin of divorce.
But marriage is a hard, lifelong commitment. Do not enter into it lightly or thinking that divorce is a ticket to freedom whenever you need out. Divorce is not a ticket to freedom, but to slavery to sin. Avoid it like the plague.
Responses?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
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