1. INTRO: Ellen’s Story

Ø Dated/loved non-xian, “converted” Cheater, love-slave, tough-love, confrontation, divorce, failure, restoration.

Ø Today 1st: divorce in 1 Corinthians, but
2nd: important & awesome, see how God reveals through this topic how passionate He is about you!

Ø Nuts & Bolts then Real Reasons

2. Scripture 1 Co.

3. Nuts & Bolts

A. Believers married to believers must not divorce

Ø If divorced anyway, reconcile or stay “single.” (vs. 11 reflects male control at time)

Ø In God’s eyes that union has never been broken.

B. Believers married to unbelievers who want to stay

Ø Corinthian Christians were justifiably concerned about whether or not to maintain marital union with an unbeliever. Some may have thought that such a union joined Christ to Satan, defiling the believer and the children and dishonoring the Lord.

Ø “I, not the Lord” This is not a denial of inspiration, but only saying that Paul was not quoting Christ.

Ø In this case “sanctify” does not refer to salvation, per verse 16, but saying that the spouse is holy in the marriage, that the marriage is holy, and that the kids are not –out-of-wedlock, but holy.

C. Believers married to unbelievers who want to leave

Ø A wife has no assurance that she will save her husband, and a husband has no assurance that he will save his wife.

Ø If the unbeliever begins divorce proceedings, the Christian partner is not to contest.

Ø We can “woo.”

D. Believers married to adulterers

Ø Paul was not discussing divorce based on adultery, for which Jesus specifically affirmed provision (Matt. 5:32).

Ø In God’s sight the bond between a husband and wife is dissolved only by death (Rom. 7:2), adultery (Matt. 19:9), and an unbeliever’s leaving. When the bond, or bondage, is broken in any of those ways, a Christian is free to remarry. Throughout Scripture, whenever legitimate divorce occurs, remarriage is assumed.

4. Real Reasons

A. Let me tell you a “strange but true” love story

Ø Jose, a man w/deep faith takes a wife, Gloria, he knows has been seriously sexually active.

Ø Things start out well enough. She has a child, which they both wanted. Then she has more children, but most are not his.

Ø Gloria chases after lovers, but Jose chases after her, in spite of being shamed by the evidence of his wife’s heartless and lust-filled cheating, the children not his.

Ø In all of this Jose gives her whatever she really needs, and even extras, but Gloria takes what Jose has given her, and shares it with lovers.

Ø She has a love of sorts for Jose, she doesn’t want to leave him, says she loves him, but she keeps loving others more often and ardently.

Ø Though she fails to realize it, she is wearing herself out physically and spiritually with her whoring. She fails to see Jose as the answer.

Ø While there are times, some long, of separation and anger, and most would give up, Jose refuses. He says she is his and always will be. They are one. He will always be true and one day she will respond to his love and return.

Ø SHE DOES! THEY LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

Ø Anybody want to be love like that? You already are. That story is from the Bible. Does anyone recognize it?

Ø The account of Hosea and Gomer is a definitive illustration of the way God loves us without divorce.

Ø Hosea 3:1, The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods…

B. Marriage w/o divorce intended as experience of God’s love.

Ø Marriage mirrors God’s love. He never divorces us after we accept his love proposal. We are both his bride and his children, and permanent family members!

Ø Genesis 2:18, 24-25.

Ø Life wasn’t meant to be lived alone.

Ø Man was incomplete without a woman, and vice versa.

Ø Suitable helper is not a demeaning term. God is our helper as quoted many times in the OT using the same Hebrew word.

Ø Leaving homes and parents speaks of forming a new nuclear family.

Ø Marriage was to be a permanent one-flesh arrangement.

Ø God did this out of love, providing us a love for life with the security, acceptance and completeness that come with it.

Ø Mt.19:3-9 Divorce permissible for adultery, but God’s plan was permanent love, one flesh, never to be divided.

C. Chance to learn to love like God (below 1st)

Ø Anybody ever had a class with a lab? What’s it for?

Ø Ephesians 5:25-33, Love wife as Jesus loves the church, 2 become one flesh, I am referring to Christ and the church. This is a clear parallel.

Ø Learning to love in marriage despite the failures of a spouse is learning to love as God loves us.

Ø To be against divorce is not to be against freedom and peace, but for love, community, godliness, security, family and acceptance.

Ø If we have failed in this area, we simply remember that the kind of permanent love we should have displayed in the face of mounting failures by our partner and maybe ourselves, God does display. Failure in our earthly marriage, never leads to a failure on God’s part to love us no matter what, forever.

5. Invite:

Ø We can have this love & security now with God, even if we do not have a husband/wife yet.

Ø Who/What have you been whoring with? God says I love you, come back to me!

Ø Who/What are you giving your strength and resources to? God says I love you, come back to me, I have what you need.

Ø You say you have consequences like children of your divided heart that you can’t get rid of? God says I love you, come back to me?

Ø Do you have a broken marriage or divorce in your life? God says I love you, come back to me, I’ll teach you to love again.

Ø COME! Be my lover, and let me love you.