Q and A Sermon

Call to Worship

Say: Let us now begin to worship the Father the Son, the Holy Spirit, Our Call to worship Comes to us from

Lamed

Psalm 119:89–96 NKJV

89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. 90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. 91 They continue this day according to Your ordinances, For all are Your servants. 92 Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction. 93 I will never forget Your precepts, For by them You have given me life. 94 I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your precepts. 95 The wicked wait for me to destroy me, But I will consider Your testimonies. 96 I have seen the consummation of all perfection, But Your commandment is exceedingly broad.

Introduction

(Modify for Modern Day

Barbed Arrows from the Quiver of C. H. Spurgeon Promises—Precious

IF you go into the market and are likely to do a ready-money business, you always take a cheque-book with you; so carry precious promises with you, that may plead the word which suits your case. I have turned to promises for the sick, when I have been of that number, or to promises for the poor, the despondent, the weary, and such like, according to my own condition, and I have always found a Scripture fitted to my own case. I do not want a promise made to the sick when I am perfectly well; I do not want balm for a broken heart when my soul is rejoicing in the Lord; but it is very handy to know where to lay your hand upon suitable words of cheer when necessity arises. Thus the external comfort of the Christian is the Word of God.

God’s word is full of promises, it is for you to take them and try them. Some are for hardship, some are heartbreak, some are for saftey, but they all are for you and me.

When we look to the book for answers today, grab unto the promises

Sermon:

Divorce

How does God view divorce, specifically in cases of an unsafe environment or (I’m adding this) in an abusive environment?

I want to say before I get into this topic, that God is pro-marriage, defines the terms, the means, and the ends. Even if you’re not a believer he does. Marriage is a common good and so we want to protect it for everyone. Marriage is the best environment for sanctification, growth in belief, marriage is the best environment for children, providing them with a safety unlike any other. Marriage is good for society, a stable home leads to a stable culture. Marriage is a picture of Jesus and the his bride the church universal. Jesus is a husband willing to die for his bride, we are the children of that relationship. So When I talk about divorce I want to say that this is a very grave thing. I know some of you have been divorced and maybe some of you are like me a child that came from a home of divorce. So I am going to try to be clear with what God’s word has said and hope to give comfort to the best of my ability.

This is a family discussion and we are a church family and so I’m going to do my best to share what our father has said to us.

I want to start with the harshest thing you are going to hear Malachi 2:16

Malachi 2:16 NKJV

16 “For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”

God hates divorce, we all hate divorce, we hate pain and hurt, and destruction.

If you put this verse in it’s context, it is about a man needlessly divorce his wife, the violence on his garment is like a murder caught with blood on his hands. Wee must handle this issue without treachery as God has said.

Overview

There are given in scripture 2 permissible reasons to divorce Sexual immortality and abandonment. This is the texts:

What the Bible Says

Adultery

Matthew 5:27–32 NKJV

27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 31 “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

So When Jesus was addressing the Jews in Matthew 5 he was dealing with a divorce culture much like ours, Rabbis would divorce for any reason whatsoever. They would follow the precepts of Moses, write up a letter of divorce and then walk away from the marriage so they wouldn’t commit adultery, and could remarry.

Sexual immorality in this case is anything, Pornia is a junk draw term for any number of things.

The grounds of divorce in the case of the pharisees where illegitimate. It was born out of adultery and lust.

As an application don’t get into relationships easily without counting the cost. Love is wonderful, and intoxicating, it makes you feel like you can fly, but think through it, seek counsel. When you marriage has problems, and it will two sinners are involved look to work through it instead of pulling the trigger to walk away.

Abandonment, The second ground:

The Holy Spirit through Paul says this

1 Corinthians 7:10–16 ESV

10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. 12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 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. 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

So this Gentile church had been divorcing each other and running around on each other. The Corinthian church had letters written to it outside the bible that’s how bad it got.

In this case if your married to an unbeliever and he or she leaves because of your faith you can rightly divorce. This I believe is were the permissiblilty for divorce for abuse comes from.

Application to this question

The Biblical pattern of Marriage is meant to be Monogamous, life-long, heterosexual. That is the ideal that God has made, this is not God’s fall back plan, but was the plan from the garden. Marriage was made in the garden before sin. This is what family is to look like.

The problem is sin. I don’t have enough time to trace the whole issue out, but maybe in the summer of 27 we can.

John Mac shares this story:

Once I was taking questions from the audience in a meeting in Boston , and a young woman stood and asked how a Christian wife should deal with a husband who beats her. Immediately, a little eighty-nine-year-old, white-haired woman in the second row stood and shouted to her, "Hit him back, honey!"

Remembering the scene still makes me smile (I noticed after the meeting that the little old lady was wearing black boots). As funny as it was, however, I don't think she had the proper remedy.

To deal with this question and all around it I do believe there is a strong Biblical case for separation and divorce in the case of abuse.

This is what you do, you get out of the abusive situation. If he or she is constantly hitting and abusing you or worse or your children you need to get out. God doesn’t require you to be hurt, I’ll go a step further and say we will help you. We partner with some excellent organizations that can help you.

I say that because of the following:

Proverbs 14:16 ESV

16 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

In Church history, many would say separate from Bed and board. Remove yourself from the situation.

You are not required to endure repeated injury. Yes I’d seek to reconcile if possible, but If someone is abusive and you get out of the situation, unless true repentance occurs you will find that this person will abandon you, and you will be free to divorce. If separation also leads to the other person committing adultery you are free to divorce.

This is messy, it is case by case, but cruelty is not a Christian attribute.

I hope this helps!

Suicide

From hard question to hard question

The Question was “how does Suicide effect the concept of eternal security?”

So the Roman Church teaches that suicides go straight to hell. That teaching bleeds into common knowledge and many worry about this very personal issue if their loved one is in heaven or Hell right now.

Let me be clear about a few things. Murder is a sin

Exodus 20:13 ESV

13 “You shall not murder.

God forbids it because we’re made in the image of God

Genesis 9:5–6 ESV

5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Suicides happens in the Bible and it is never spoken about positively or as noble.

Just to name a few:

Reformed Ethics, Volume Two: The Duties of the Christian Life Suicide

Abimelech (

One of my favorite Theologians Bavinvk said this

Reformed Ethics, Volume Two: The Duties of the Christian Life Suicide

Suicide is the clearest manifestation of the brokenness caused by sin, of the disruption of life,58 of the inner discontent and disharmony of our existence. Moreover, Scripture teaches us to trust in God in all things (

I want to say this real quick If you are dealing with suicidal thoughts you are not alone, your Lord understand what you’re going through.

Matthew 4:5–7 ESV

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

Jesus has been their with you, please don’t this is not an option for you. Christ died for you, God thinks you are worth his son, your value with him is all that matters.

So do you lose your salvation if you commit Suicide.

Let me quote John Mac.

Suicide is a grave sin equivalent to murder (Exodus 20:13; 21:23), but it can be forgiven like any other sin. And Scripture says clearly that those redeemed by God have been forgiven for all their sins--past, present, and future (Colossians 2:13-14). Paul says in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

So if a true Christian would commit suicide in a time of extreme weakness, he or she would be received into heaven (Jude 24).

Sucide is not a sin against the Holy Spirit, it is not unforgivable, and so you can be forgiven.

Look at the whole body of the faith of the believer, not at this sad last act.

To those left behind I want to leave you this.

Revelation 21:4 ESV

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

You that have been impacted by this no that Jesus himself will wipe away your hurts. Thank you God.

Fear Of the Lord and do not fear

The Question:

What does it mean to fear the Lord? How do we equate this with “Do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you.”?

Let me answer this in two steps first let me define fear of the Lord:

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Biblical Relevance

1. As an expression of corporate Israelite religion—the religious system of worshiping Yahweh. Occurrences of the phrase “fear of the Lord” in the general sense of religious piety mostly appear in Wisdom texts. In this sense, “fear of the Lord” is an essential component of Israel’s theology (Perdue, Wisdom and Creation, 78–79). It essentially means faith in Yahweh.

2. As a description of personal piety—the act of worshiping and obeying Yahweh. In Deuteronomy 5:29, God declares to Moses His desire that the people would fear Him enough that they would obey His commandments. “Fear” can be expressed as (positive) obedience caused by reverence for Yahweh and/or (negative) obedience caused by the threat of divine punishment (Weinfeld, Deuteronomy 1–11, 325).

3. As an identification of a religious person, i.e., a worshiper of Yahweh. Joseph identifies himself as a God-fearer when he is reunited with his brothers (Gen 42:18). Jonah similarly identifies himself as a God-fearer when he is questioned by the sailors (Jonah 1:9; compare Pss 25:14; 33:18; 34:9).

Genesis, Volumes 1 & 2 (70. The God Who Provides: Genesis 22:9–14)

In previous generations, a person who exhibited loving devotion to God was said to be “God-fearing.” This expression has largely fallen out of the vocabulary of Christians, probably because it so poorly fits the therapeutic categories in which many have been taught to think. The idea of fearing the Lord conjures a distant, uneasy relationship that lacks affection.

In the Bible, however, the fear of the Lord is synonymous with a healthy, devoted relationship with God. The expression occurs throughout the Psalms. David sings:

“You who fear the LORD, praise him!” (Ps. 22:23).

The Psalms declare: “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever” (19:9); and

“The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him” (25:14).

David’s desire for generations to come is expressed in Psalm 34:11: “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”

The New Testament endorses this emphasis, with Peter’s exhortation: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God” (1 Peter 2:17).

Definition - From Genesis, Volumes 1 & 2 (70. The God Who Provides: Genesis 22:9–14)

Given the biblical emphasis, it will help to define the fear of God accurately.

“signifies reverence that leads to obedience.” Fearing the Lord includes believing his promises of grace, so that we obey him not out of insecurity,

“but because we have such great love for him that we do not want to displease him.

Genesis, Volumes 1 & 2 70. The God Who Provides: Genesis 22:9–14

The fear of God was summarized in Jesus’ call to discipleship: “whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24)

Do not Fear

But God also calls us to not fear.

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This is a promise by the way. You should underline this one, right it in a list of promises for you. You can cash this one in daily, hourly, by the moment btw.

Fear of the Lord is for those that believe. We believe so we fear him, we know who he is, what he is capable of. Yet like a father we love him, him disciplines us, dicsples us, trains us, give us good things.

Do not fear is like when a child calls for her father because she is afraid, and Dad is here to help.

A Christian is able to fear the Lord, but also not fear because the God of the universe is now your father.

Application:

The Rewards of God fearing-

1) fearing is the beginning of knowledge - Proverbs 9:10

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proper understanding and worship of god leads to wiser men. UYou are able to understand and have insight into things that are from heaven in a way that the non-beliver isn’t as able to.

2) Fear of the Lord leads to good works

James 2:21–22 ESV

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

Yes you are able to do good. True real good, true lasting good. True God-honoring good.

3) Fear of the Lord leads to assurance

1 John 2:5 ESV

5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

As you keep the word you are perfected in your faith.

4) Fear of the Lord Points to Jesus and reminds you of the Lords promises and covenants

Genesis 22:15–18 (ESV)

15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 I will surely bless you,

and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.

And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,

18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Benediction

Say: As we close our service of worship dear brother and sister please stand for our benediction and receive by faith this blessing from God

Psalm 121:7–8 ESV

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.