The Attack on Marriage

Intro

Now, I what we are about to talk about this morning, is a very touchy, subject. “I need you to stay with me until the end, Deal?”

Ephesians 6:16 ESV

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

I fear, most of us are falling prey to an ancient war tactic.

you see flaming arrows weren’t used to kill the enemy per se, rather they were used to distract the enemy from the real attack.

The enemy will light something on fire behind or towards the side, distraction the advancing army long enough to counter attack.

Last Week we discussed the theology of Marriage and why marriage matters. Today I want to begin discussing attacks on marriage and family.

Lets begin by asking what is the greatest attack on marriage and family today?

LGBTQ+?

Hollywood?

Pornography?

Life’s Short, Have an affair!

-Ashley Madison.com

I propose to you to today that the greatest challenge we face is not any of these but is in fact Divorce.

Specifically the rise of “No Fault Divorce”

You may say, “pastor, your crazy, the LGBTQ+ movement is attacking are children.” You are right they are. But we need to understand that they are doing these thing because they need Jesus. They are lost and they are broken. Many of them have come from broken, hurting families.

Lets look at no fault divorce real quickly

What that means is that typically either party can file for divorce without have to prove anything.

All Florida law requires is “there be irreconcilable differences that leave a marriage irretrievably broken” to obtain a divorce.

In the past, prior to the 1970’s, when these “no fault” laws started coming up, you would go to a judge, accuse one another of something, he would mandate counseling. Now if there was abuse or evidence of adultery, then the judge may finalize the divorce. We look back on that era as a society as how backward were they?

But the reason the judicial system made it difficult is that they didn’t want the societal effects that we now have. The system 60 years ago protected marriage. Indeed imperfectly, but that is better that what they do now. Incentivizing divorce.

As i was praying about the threats to our families, I had this sermon ready, to go focusing, purely on LGBTQ+, but I realized i needed to preach this first.

Now ask you to follow me to the end. Don’t get discouraged, God is taking us somewhere.

Malachi 2:15–17 NASB95

“But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.” You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

Malachi 2:16 NASB95

“For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

you seewill single out a ton of of things but we rarely as a church address the biggest threat to family stability out there. that is divorce.

Indeed, God cannot stand homosexuality, pornography, or a host of other sins, but it is divorce that God singles out and says “I hate this!”

Why? Be

The Attack of Divorce

The Weakening of Marriage

Cohabitors in general have a 50-80% higher likelihood of divorce after marriage than non-cohabitors.

Life expectancies for divorced men and women are significantly lower than for married people (who have the longest life expediencies).

The health consequences of divorce are so severe that a Yale researcher concluded that “being divorced and a nonsmoker is slightly less dangerous than smoking a pack a day and staying married.”

Men and women both suffer a decline in mental health following divorce, but researchers have found that women are more greatly affected.

Children and Divorce

Children from divorced homes suffer academically. They experience high levels of behavioral problems. Their grades suffer, and they are less likely to graduate from high school.

Kids whose parents divorce are substantially more likely to be incarcerated for committing a crime as a juvenile.

Because the custodial parent’s income drops substantially after a divorce, children in divorced homes are almost five times more likely to live in poverty than are children with married parents.

Teens from divorced homes are much more likely to engage in drug and alcohol use, as well as sexual intercourse, than are those from intact families.

Children and Health

Children from divorced homes experience illness more frequently and recover from sickness more slowly.

They are also more likely to suffer child abuse

Children of divorced parents suffer more frequently from symptoms of psychological distress.

And the emotional scars of divorce last into adulthood.

Wallerstein Study

Psychologist Judith Wallerstein followed a group of children of divorce from the 1970s into the 1990s. Interviewing them at 18 months and then 5, 10, 15 and 25 years after the divorce, she expected to find that they had bounced back. But what she found was dismaying: Even 25 years after the divorce, these children continued to experience substantial expectations of failure, fear of loss, fear of change and fear of conflict. (Ibid., p. xxvii.) Twenty-five years!

Full “recovery” is nearly impossible for children because of the dynamic nature of family life.”

Flaming Arrows Abound

Ephesians 6:16 ESV

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

I go back to this Idea of flaming arrows. the enemy throw up every flare he can to distract us from the main issue. That is the hardness of our hearts.

Matthew 19:8 ESV

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.

Moses allow this terrible thing to happen, because your hearts grew so hard, that there was no other way.

Not One More Inch (Closing)

Ephesians 4:26–30 ESV

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Matthew 5:44 ESV

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Those with a strong common faith have a 35% lower risk of divorce. Couples who attend church weekly are 47% less likely to divorce. However, divorce rates among nominal Christians are equal to the general population.