Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.11UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.12UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.6LIKELY
Sadness
0.5UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.64LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.52LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.81LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.62LIKELY
Extraversion
0.44UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.84LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.65LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
OPENING
JOKE
Marriage isn’t easy.
Marriage is more than butterflies in the stomach, an eternal, invigorating, emotional experience.
Marriage is hard work that demands a love that will sacrifice, serve, forgiven & be faithful.
Marriage demands that you be DEVOTED to your spouse.
But over time, many married folks get DISTRACTED by other things, and sometimes - other people.
So too, following Jesus is more than just an emotional experience.
Christians are to be DEVOTED to the Lord.
But it seems that many of us are DISTRACTED.
Today we are reminded that no-one and no-thing should distract us from the Lord Jesus having 1st place in our lives - including our spouse.
_________
Before we dive too deep, we need to establish some ground rules.
Remember who Paul is writing to - Corinthian Christians to answer their questions about marriage, separation, divorce, and remarriage.
Roman marriages were typically arranged, especially by prosperous parents, with little personal choice from the married couple.
[Ben Witherington III, Conflict and Community in Corinth: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 170–171.]
The Roman culture was different than the Jewish culture.
While the Jewish culture did not allow a woman to divorce her husband, the Roman culture did.
[Derek R. Brown and E. Tod Twist, 1 Corinthians, ed.
John D. Barry and Douglas Mangum, Lexham Research Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013), 1 Co 7:17.]
Although Paul is teaching what Jesus taught on this issue, he also speaks to specifics that Jesus did not address.
While we will see what the Scriptures say about marriage, separation, divorce, and remarriage, there IS a bigger concern for Paul and should be for you and me…
1 Corinthians 7:35b (CSB)
...so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.
So, here we go.
1 Corinthians 7:10–11 (CSB)
To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord—a wife is not to leave her husband.
But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband—and a husband is not to divorce his wife.
First, this is not Paul’s command, but a command from the Lord Jesus (Mat 5:31-32, Mk 10:11-12, Luke 16:18).
This is a broad brush statement, that Christians who are married should stay in the marriage.
Again, broad brush, for those spouses who refuse to stay, you have 2 options:
Stay unmarried until your spouse dies (v39).
Be reconciled to your spouse.
Jesus taught that neither men nor women were NOT allowed to leave their marriage partner and pursue another, as this would be adultery.
The married believer can’t bail out on the relationship for any reason like, “I just don’t love him/her anymore” or “I’m just not happy, and God’s wants me to be happy.”
Actually, God wants you to be HOLY…to obey His commands, including staying in your marriage are serving your spouse.
There are, however, a few exceptions.
Jesus mentions one on two different occasions in Matthew’s gospel (Mt 5:32 & Mt 19:9).
Matthew 5:31–32 (CSB)
It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.
But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery.
And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
The one exception for divorce that Jesus allows is in the case of sexual immorality.
That’s the word porneia that Paul has used in 1 Cor 5:1, 6:13, 18, 7:2 ) - that broad-brush term for any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage.
So, according to Jesus, one can’t simply divorce your spouse for any reason and then marry someone else.
This is adultery.
And since God still sees you as being married to your spouse, and you both become sexually intimate with other people, then you BOTH commit adultery.
Matthew’s notes Jesus speaking to the issue again later in his writing.
Matthew 19:9 (CSB)
I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”
So, in the case of sexual immorality, God allows for divorce and remarriage.
This should NEVER be the 1st option as the 1st option is forgiveness & restoration.
But can a person who has has biblical grounds for divorce be remarried?
There are differing views here.
Some say Jesus allows for divorce in the case of adultery, but not remarriage.
Question: If God allows and recognizes the marriage as being over, then why couldn’t they be remarried?
Others say that Jesus implies that remarriage is an option for the innocent spouse.
This was certainly true for Jews, if the Old Testament command to stone the adulterer was carried out.
Obviously, the marriage would have been over, and the living spouse could then remarry.
It is my best understanding that God DOES ALLOW remarriage for the innocent spouse in the case of SEXUAL IMMORALITY, which is ADULTERY in a marriage relationship.
But are there any other EXCEPTIONS?
Yes, as we are about to see, there are.
1 Corinthians 7:12–14 (CSB)
But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce her husband.
For the unbelieving husband is made holy by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy by the husband.
Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.
What does Paul mean by “I not the Lord say”?
Paul is answering a question that Jesus didn’t specifically address.
What would Jesus have said to this question?
Paul gives his best answer as led by the Holy Spirit.
A Christian can’t up and leave their spouse because they don’t follow Jesus.
If you are a Christian who married someone who didn’t follow Jesus, that’s on you!
You can’t quit your marriage because the person you married hasn’t converted to Christ.
If you started following Jesus after you married, you can’t divorce because you changed directions in the mid-stream of your marriage.
If your non-Christian spouse is willing to stay with you, you must not divorce him/her.
Further, according to Paul, the unbelieving spouse and children are made holy by the Christian spouse & parent.
This doesn’t mean that your spouse and children are saved because YOU are.
God doesn’t have grandchildren - only children.
The Scriptures are clear that an individual is saved by turning from sin and trusting in Jesus - not because of a relative’s faith.
But the Christian’s influence in the home will impact your household.
Spouses and children should see the Christian acting like Jesus is alive and worthy of his/her life.
God’s blessings to the believer will overflow to the family and God’s grace will be extended in a tangible way to the spouse and children!
How many people in this room were impacted by ONE GODLY FAMILY MEMBER?
Maybe the rest of your family was NOT godly, but your mother, father, grandmother, grandfather lived their faith, talked about Jesus, and prayed for you.
But that family member or friend made a difference that impacts your life years later!
But…what if the non-Christian spouse doesn’t want to stick around with the spouse who follows Jesus?
That’s a great question…and here’s the answer.
1 Corinthians 7:15–16 (CSB)
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave.
A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases.
God has called you to live in peace.
Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband.
Husband, for all you know, you might save your wife.
What does “not bound” mean?
Craig Keener notes that “Paul’s words recall the exact language for freedom to remarry in ancient divorce contracts” and his ancient audience would have understood his words that way.
Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009), 191.
John MacArthur writes: “Throughout Scripture, whenever legitimate divorce occurs, remarriage is assumed.
Where divorce is permitted, remarriage is permitted.”
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9