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Understand the truth that's taught tonight and father I just pray you'd speak to our hearts and use this sermon our lives there God and Help us to grow from it and understand the truth about this subject in Jesus name. I pray men Now this is kind of a famous passage the latter part of Ephesians chapter 5 beginning in verse 22 talking about the relationship between a husband and wife Starts out by saying wife submit yourselves under your own husband's adds unto the Lord For the husband is the head of the wife and right away against make comparison Even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body therefore as the church is subject unto Christ So let the wives be to their own husbands in everything That's the instruction to the wife to be obedient to her husband and everything then he says to the husband husband Love your wives even as Christ Also loved the church same illustration and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word He might present it to himself a glorious church not having spot a wrinkle or any such thing But that it should be holy and without blemish so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies He the love of his wife love it himself Now watch this for no man ever yet hated his own flesh But nourished and cherished it even as the Lord the church But notice the next words for we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife and they too shall be one flesh This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the church, so what's God saying here? He's saying that the illustration of how a man and a woman are toward each other in marriage is That's actually a picture of how Jesus Christ is to us We're supposed to be subject to him much like a wife is supposed to be subject to her husband and everything He is he gave himself for us much as the husband should be self sacrificing toward his wife, but you have to understand that The Bible says here in verse number 31. It's saying Well look at verse 30. We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones He's saying it's like we're married to Christ is what it's saying Now look if you would a Romans chapter 7 Flip over to Romans chapter 7, and I'll show you this again more clearly Look at Romans chapter 7 verse number 1 The Bible says know ye not brethren for I speak to them that know the law How that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth For the woman which hath and husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth But if the husband be dead she is loose from the law of her husband So then if while her husband liveth she be married to another man. She shall be called an adulterous But if her husband be dead she is free from that law so that she is no adulterous though She'd be married to another man wherefore my brethren ye Also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ that she should be married to another So who should we be married to it says? That we should be married to another Even to him who is raised from the dead that's Jesus Christ that we should bring forth fruit unto God So the relationship between us and God as say born-again Christians is much like the relationship between a man and his wife Now what does God say here, and then of course the bringing forth fruit unto God? That's not my soul winning bring forth fruit bringing forth after your own time my wife And I we bring forth after our own time you can look at these four kids across the front row they look a lot like us Say you have cute kids. Why thank you You Know they're cute kids, so they look like me nuts, and they look like my beautiful wife of course her birthday, and so That's not the only reason I'm saying that okay. I'd say it anyway, but the point is we are To Christ as the wife is to a husband now. What did God say in Romans 7 look down at your Bible and Look at verse number two for the woman which hath an husband is Bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth, but if the husband be dead She is loosed from the law of her husband, so what is God teaching till death do us part in marriage isn't that right? He's saying the end of marriage the end of that bond between a man and a woman is death That's when marriage is over now my wife, and I will not be married in heaven Did you know that the Bible says that in heaven in the resurrection? They're neither married nor given in marriage, but our eyes the angels in heaven, and so I'm not going to be married my wife No one will be married in heaven. That's what the Bible clearly teaches Marriage ends at death if one of us dies marriage is over Now think about this God is saying here that the only thing that's going to end our marriage is death Now when we get saved Isn't that a permanent Bob is that a permanent relationship think about how a man and a woman get married and they promise? I'm going to keep myself only unto you and sickness and an elf for better for worse for richer for poorer and You know Keep your eye to memorize this cause but I can't remember anymore and keep the only under her so long as we both shall live Do you so promise I do and so forth? now God has a commitment to us as born-again Christians that he will never leave us nor forsake us isn't that right he said I will Never leave me nor forsake me now if I were to leave my wife I'm basically blaspheming that that Illustration where God says I am going to be committed to you no matter what you do no matter what happens It's it's a permanent bond I'll never leave the normal safety, but when our society turns marriage into a temporary thing Where you're married and then your divorce and then you marry somebody else and then you get divorced and you made somebody else it basically Destroys that illustration you understand what I'm saying now if my wife think about this for a second Do you believe that once you've been saved you'll always be saved. Do you believe in the eternal security of the believer? I mean you believe Jesus Christ when he said I give unto them Everlasting life and no man shall pluck them out of my head I mean you believe the Bible when it says him that cometh to me. I will in no wise cast out well Then let me ask you something is Jesus Christ Ever gonna break that marriage bond that he has with you as a believer No, is he ever gonna walk out on you never? Now what if you? Steal is he gonna break it. He's gonna break his promise He's gonna break his vow now first John 2 25 says and this is the promise that he had promised us Even eternal life, that's what it says in first John 2 25 so God has made us a promise In hope of eternal life, which God they cannot lie try this one to promised before the world began It's God ever gonna break that promise. No the Bible says the first Timothy chapter 2 he said if we believe not yet he abided faithful. He cannot deny himself He will not break his promise. He will not go back on his word The Lord is not a man that he should repent the Bible says he'll perform the thing that's gone out of his mouth Now I'm married to my wife here God expects me to perform the thing that's gone out of my mouth Which is when I promise to be with my wife as the scripture say in Romans 7 till death us to part now if I were to kill somebody is God gonna break his promise to me and Separate himself from me now if I were to commit adultery is God going to break his promise and separate himself from me And I'll go to hell because I've committed the unpardonable sin No, is there anything that I could do where God will forsake me and send me to hell? No Now, let me ask you this. Is there anything that my wife can do? That I will forsake my wife No, because the commitment that I'm to have toward my wife and the commitment that she's to have toward me There's the exact same commitment that Jesus Christ has toward us when we get saved. It's a life long commitment It's till death does to part. Hey, Jesus isn't gonna die Because he's already been dead and behold he lives forevermore the Bible reads now am I ever gonna die No, Jesus said whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. And so this bond between Christ and myself will never end Now flip over in your Bible To verse number I actually look at a little bit of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament Ecclesiastes Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 4 the Bible reads When thou vowest a vow unto God Defer not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in fools Pay that which thou is found now There's a clear command in the Bible that God is saying never to break a promise, isn't it? And it says especially when you make a promise to God he says don't ever break that promise He says you're a fool if you do, so don't ever break a vow to God is what he's saying now Think about merit back to marriage for a minute Let's say my wife Were to spit in my face Didn't somebody spit in Jesus Christ's face one time you remember that know when they spit in his face What if my wife would have mocked me didn't they spit and mock Jesus Christ? What if my wife were to beat me with a whip 39 times? You say that's that's ridiculous, that's unimaginable, but see what I'm saying is this is an example That's beyond The realm of anything that you're ever going to go through in your marriage, right? You say well, what if my wife? Puts a crown of thorns and shoves it onto my head Am I still supposed to remain faithful to my wife by supposed to stay married to my wife? See now you might now you're thinking well, wait a minute pastor Anderson. I don't know about all that Maybe you don't understand the Bible when it says till death that's two part Maybe in our sand the Bible when God said that marriage is a symbol He said the reason that I said in Genesis chapter 2 that a man should leave his father and mother and plead to his wife Because he said that's a picture of Christ in the church. That's what it said in Ephesians 5. He said for this cause Shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife Why because it's a picture of Jesus Christ's relationship with the church, that's why that's what it says That's that's the context of the verse You say that chance and your wife would never do any of those things to you, you know But if she did I'd still stay married to her Now you say well, I just don't know about that. I just don't believe I believe that there's reasons there's grounds for divorce Well, let's examine that from the scriptures tonight. I Say that there are no grounds for divorce period you say what about physical abuse Are you telling me that a woman sustained an abusive relationship? Well Jesus stayed in an abusive relationship What about cases of abandonment? Well, you know, I bet you there's times when you've abandoned Jesus Christ If you abandon Jesus Christ in your life before if you ever walked out on Jesus Christ and said I'm not gonna be in church I'm not gonna read the Bible. I'm not gonna pray. I'm not gonna talk to God. I'm not gonna talk to Jesus I'm not gonna have anything to do with Jesus. I'm gonna do my own thing now how would I like it if my wife walked out the front door and Didn't talk to me for seven days didn't call me Didn't say anything Didn't say anything good or bad. Just didn't say a thing. How would that would that be acceptable to me? I mean, what if I just said honey, I need a break from you. Okay. I need a break from these kids I need a break from you I'm just gonna go take a little trip for a couple weeks. I'll be back when I'm back. Okay I just need to go clear my head. Do you think that that would be acceptable to her? Much less much less six months. What about six months? You know, I'm just gonna be gone for six months. Is that all right? No But have you been have you been out of church for six months, you know, have you gone four days without reading the Bible? How can you imagine if me and my wife did not speak to each other for four days? That'd be a pretty unhealthy relationship, wouldn't it? I mean my wife expects to talk to me multiple times throughout the day Okay, isn't that unreasonable? But the point is I'm just kidding. Of course. She calls me when I'm at work lots of talk You know, no, I'm just kidding. I call her But the point is part of marriage is you know, you're communicating your time Hey, but how much how often do we treat God like that? Does God leave us? Does God forsake us and say well that's a grounds for divorce. All right, you committed adultery I'm Divorcing you you're going to hell. All right, you didn't talk to me for a week Go to hell. All right, you've forsaken me for five years. You got out of the church. I'm gonna divorce you no No, there's no there's no reason for that. There's no grounds for divorce. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you You should never leave or forsake your spouse Now number one thing that's wrong with divorce is that number one It's it's it's it's basically destroying God's perfect picture of salvation that he's instituted marriage for that purpose, but number two It's breaking a vow to God Now breaking about a God is also known as lying. Okay? If I were to tell brother Dave and I'm not trying to hurt anybody's feelings or anything and I'll get to that later in the sermon But you need to understand the truth of what the Bible teaches Everyone needs to understand it. If I said to brother Dave I said brother Dave I'm gonna sell you Back to that fancy car up front of the ninety-nine Ford Escort Cracked windshield. Hey, I'm gonna sell you that car for $99.99. Okay, and I'm gonna write it down right now. I'm gonna write a contract. Okay, I'm gonna sign it Okay, now you sign it brother Dave. Okay, brother Dave signs it. I'm gonna sell you this vehicle Come back tomorrow. Bring me the cash. I'm gonna give you the vehicle now. We made a deal We made a covenant the Bible would call that we made a deal and what if I said tomorrow, you know I changed my mind. I'm adding $1,000 to the price Is that right for me to do that, what did I do I lied, okay, I lied I broke the deal I broke the bargain or were shit. What if he handed me all the money and I just skip town I'm just gone, you know shows up. Where's the car and I'm just gone with the car Hey, that's that's what it is when you break about now think about it. What if I did that what would the police? Well, they do they probably put me in jail right if I just skip town with this car He had the document that said I gave this guy $10,000. I signed it. He signed it and he sent town What the police do they'd be after me. I mean they put me in jail. It's called grand theft auto Now when you get married Don't you sign a piece of paper just like that? It says I will be faithful to you until death Doesn't your spouse sign that same exact paper? When you get married, yeah, but yet is it against the law free to break that vow and to break that deal I mean you enter into a legal contract before man before the government before God and you break that Contract that's that's a lie. That's breaking about that's a sin Are you gonna tell me that it's not a sin to break that vow you say well, you don't understand the circumstances Hey, is it a sin to break a vow to God? You say well, you don't understand the circumstances of why I broke my promise brother Dave You don't understand how much I needed that money. Okay? Come on. Look there's no excuse for that. If you sign your name to something you do it He says you bow you pay what you vowed end of story period now look if you would have Matthew chapter 5 Matthew chapter 5 and Look at verse number 32 This is this is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It starts out with the Beatitudes one of the most beautiful parts of the Bible but This is a chapter that's often very misunderstood and I think Jesus knew it was going to be misunderstood and that's why he started out By explaining some things before he got into the message Look at verse number 17 where he explains some things that you have to understand before you read this chapter He said think not that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets I came not to destroy but to fulfill for verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass one job to one tittle Shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled So he's saying right away. I'm not changing the Bible. You think God changes you think that what was wrong in the Old Testament is suddenly okay now and Things that used to be okay. Well now they're a sin No, God is an unchanging God and so things that are wrong have always been wrong period and things that are right have always been Right. Well look at verse number 32 or 31. Actually the Bible reads It has been said whosoever shall put away his wife let him give her a writing of divorcement But I say unto you that whosoever shall put away his wife saving for the cause of fornication Causeth her to commit adultery and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committed adultery Now you say wait a minute pastor Anderson in the Old Testament divorce was allowed But in the New Testament, he's saying if you do it saving for the cause of fornication, you're causing your wife to commit adultery Now that is not true Look at look at some of the other examples. He gives go down in the chapter to actually go up in the chapter to verse number 27 He had heard that it was said by them of old time thou shalt not commit adultery But I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after had committed adultery with her already in his heart Do you think that's a new commandment? You think it was okay in the Old Testament just to look at women and just lust after them all day long and then Jesus said that it was like there goes that one I got to throw all my magazines away Peter and James and John had to throw all their dirty magazines away Can suddenly it became a sin to lust after work? Come on That's ridiculous. That's insanity It was always the Bible says in the Old Testament the thought of wickedness is saying the Bible says in the book of Proverbs Lest not after her beauty in thy heart and all right Commandments like that all throughout the Old Testament telling a man not to lust now How about the 10th commandment thou shalt not desire thy neighbor's wife? It says in Deuteronomy chapter 5. It's worded that way Look at look at the other examples here the Bible reads in verse number 43 You've heard that have been said thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy, but I send you love your enemies bless them the curse hate the Bible says To love your enemies in the Old Testament the book of Leviticus and So these are not new Commandments. Jesus is rebuking people who thought they were could just do the minimum and He's saying no. This is what you're supposed to be doing This what other people are saying that the Bible says let me tell you what it really means Let me tell you what you really should be doing. That's what Matthew chapter 5 is all about Flip over to what the Matthew chapter 19 Matthew chapter number 19 You say wait a minute pastor Anderson I saw in there I saw in there something about Except to be for fornication, you know, maybe there is a reason why divorce could be acceptable Well, let's read Matthew chapter 19 and I'll address that the Matthew 19 verse number one the Bible reads And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished these sayings He departed from Galilee and came to the coast of Judea beyond Jordan and great multitudes followed him and healed them there the Pharisees also Came unto him tempting him and saying unto him is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Put away means divorce the Bible reads and the answer instead of them have you not read That he which made them at the beginning made them male and female and said for this cause shall a man leave father and mother And shall cleave to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh what therefore God hath joined together Let not man put asunder pretty clear statement, isn't it? But they're not satisfied with that So they say unto him why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorce men to put her away? He saith unto them Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives But from the beginning it was not so. Oh So God changed right? No, he didn't and we'll see you in a second from the beginning It was not so and I say unto you whosoever shall put away his wife except to be for fornication And shall marry another committed adultery and whoso marrieth her which is put away death commit adultery now Let's look at it carefully you say well there's an exception right there the exception is fornication. That's the exception Well, we're gonna see that fornication does not mean what most people think it means number one But number two that doesn't say that it's okay for you to divorce your wife or divorce your husband It says that if you divorce your wife and remarry someone else for any reason other than fornication You're causing her to commit adultery Where does it say that you're not committing the sin of breaking a vow to God like lying like breaking God's laws Okay, just because you didn't also commit the sin of adultery at the same time But he said if you marry a divorced woman, you are committing adultery period no matter who you are Now look back to look back to the book of Deuteronomy, and we'll see what he means by Saving for the cause of fornication Deuteronomy chapter 24. This is the law that's being referred to by the Pharisees in Deuteronomy chapter 24 now Remember he said whosoever shall put away his wife except to be for fornication It says cause the third to commit adultery now, let me ask you this if a married person Has an extramarital affair is that called fornication no That is not if a woman is unfaithful to her husband with another man. Is that called fornication? No If I were unfaithful to my wife is that fornication? No, there's another word for what's it called? Adultery, okay study the word adultery all through the Bible and you'll see that Fornication is not adultery two different things Look at verse number one of Deuteronomy chapter 24 The Bible says when a man had taken a wife and married her and it come to pass that she find no favor in his Eyes because he had found some uncleanness in her Then let him write her a bill of divorcement and give it in her hand and send her out of his house And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife Now what isn't that so clear the Bible says if a man go into his wife. He finds uncleanness in her Give her a writing of divorcement and she can go marry someone else Does that sound anything like what Jesus is saying where Jesus said if you divorce her you're causing her to commit adultery, sir Here it's saying she can go be another man's wife. Now. Look, here's the answer. Keep your finger there We're gonna look at one other place. Look at Matthew chapter one. We'll see the same example Matthew chapter number one and we'll see what the Bible really means here when people don't twist it around and try to make it say what they want to say look at Matthew chapter 1 and Look at verse number 18 Matthew 1 18 the Bible reads Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise when as his mother Mary was the spouse to Joseph before they came together So they've not consummated the marriage yet. They're married, but they've not consummated the marriage But they are married. What is a spouse? Means you're married, right? I was taught my whole life that they were engaged Does the Bible say they were engaged the Bible says her husband? In verse number 20, it says marry thy wife It says in verse number 18 espoused these people are married. That's what the Bible says husband wife espoused They're married. Okay, but they've not consummated the marriage yet. Okay, very important and the Bible says She was found with child of the Holy Ghost so it turns out she's pregnant Then Joseph her husband being a just man. So is he right in what he's doing or wrong and what he's doing? Being a just man. He's doing the right thing Then Joseph husband being a just man and not willing to make her a public example was minded to put her away Privately he says I'm gonna do the right thing the just thing I'm going to divorce my wife quietly Now flip back to Deuteronomy chapter 24 you say I'm confused. Well, let's let's let's look at this. It's very simple Look if you would at verse number actually look back at Deuteronomy chapter 22 just one page back Look at verse number 13 of chapter 22 the Bible says if any man take a wife and go in them to her and hate her and give occasions of speech against her and bring up an evil name upon her and say I Took this woman and when I came to her I found her not a maid Then shall the father of the damsel and her mother take and bring forth the tokens of the damsels virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate and the damsels father shall say to the others I gave my daughter under this man to wife and he hated her and Lowly if given occasions of speech against her saying I found not by daughter a maid and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's Virginity and they shall spread the cloth before the others of the city and the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise Him and they shall immerse him in a hundred shekels of silver and give Them unto the father of the damsel because he had brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel and she shall be his Wife he may not put her away all his days now here's the thing the same thing is being taught in Deuteronomy 22 as Is being taught in Deuteronomy 24 as is being taught in Matthew chapter 1 as is being taught in Matthew chapter 5 As is being taught in Matthew chapter 19 as is being taught in Luke chapter 16. It's all the same thing He says that if a man Goes into his wife or a man marries a wife and finds out that she is not a virgin. Okay? Because of the hardness of his heart He's not willing to accept that and his hatred for when she finds out that she was unfaithful then you know before they were even married Committing fornication not adultery committing fornication then hit the pop away from the handle that is to say You know what? I changed my mind I'm gonna write you a bill of divorcement and be done with it and she can go marry someone else They haven't even consummated the marriage in any of those circumstances Now look does this does any of these talk about well they were married for a couple of years and then she cheated on them So he divorced her is that mentioned in Deuteronomy 22 Deuteronomy 24, which are the two places that divorce was instituted in the Old Testament Was any of that mentioned in Matthew chapter 1 they were married for a while and they consummated the marriage They live together for a while, but then all of a sudden she cheated on him. Is that what Mary did? No Matthew chapter 5 is that what it's talking about when it says fornication No, Jesus said we're not here to to tear down the law. I'm not here to change Deuteronomy 22 I'm not trying to improve upon Deuteronomy 24. You can't improve on God's law The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. He said I am here to explain to you the law I'm here to fulfill the law. I'm here to it Paul said the Apostle Paul says nay we establish the law Jesus Christ is teaching and reiterating what was already taught that these Pharisees should have known. He said have you not read? Why don't you read the Bible? You'd know that if a man divorces his wife for any other reason than God allowed He said from the beginning it was not so but because the hardness of your heart God did allow it in Deuteronomy chapter 24 for one reason fornication a Woman that that had played the whores the Bible calls it while she was engaged Or while she was a spouse or before they were married. He says that's the reason why I'll allow you To divorce your wife. Okay, but that's the only that's nothing to do with modern-day divorce That's nothing to do with people getting a divorce today in the 20th century. No the 21st century I'm sorry, but you know what there is no excuse for breaking about a God number one Even if those verses were talking about adultery It still doesn't say that you didn't sin at all just said you didn't commit adultery and number three It's talking about a specific case where the law even came from in Deuteronomy chapter 24. Look at Deuteronomy 24 again. Are you still there? it says when a man had taken a wife and married her and It come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes Because he had found some uncleanness in her doesn't say it turned out she couldn't cook Okay, did the same well they just didn't get along it turned out that they were not compatible They got married and they just screamed at each other all day long and he said that's it. I'm through with it No, it says he found on cleanness in her. What is uncleanness mean? What does unclean mean dirty? Okay, what if he found that she has a disease or something is what I'm saying here Okay, now God's saying you know what you ought to love your wife anyway and so but he said look because of the hardness of Your heart I will allow you to back out for that one reason That's all he says if that one reason if you didn't know that going into it, you know But then you find that out He says because the harness of your heart you find that unclean look up the word uncleanness in the Bible It's always talking about moral sin always look at the New Testament uncleanness. It's like my sin Look it up when you get home study the word uncleanness in the Bible. That's what it's talking about It doesn't mean like uncleanness like quit talking so unclean to me you're irritating me You're so unclean. No unclean is means dirty It's talking about physical cleanness or dirtiness and that's what the Bible is talking about. It's very clear Now turn if you would in your Bible because I want to I want to show you this throughout the Bible Look at first Corinthians chapter number seven while you're turning there. I'll read you another scripture Luke chapter 16 I alluded to this but I never read it the Bible reads who so we read this this morning I'm sorry who so ever put it the way his wife and marrieth another committed adultery and Whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committed adultery He didn't even give the saving for the cause of fornication He expects you to already know that if you read Deuteronomy you understand that he said who so ever Put it away his wife and marry it another committed adultery. What he's saying is if pastor Aniston divorces his wife For any reason and marry someone else I am an adulterer right if my wife is If I divorce my wife and she goes out and marry somebody else even an adulterer and she's an adulterer So the Bible says remember where we started tonight Romans chapter 7 It says so then if while her husband liveth this is Romans 7 3 while her husband liveth. She'd be married to another man She shall be called an adulteress Okay, you see how the Bible all get to take it all together the whole picture don't just isolate one verse You have to see the whole big picture of what the Bible sees you because in the Bible really consistent Like if you compare Deuteronomy 22 24 Matthew 1 Matthew 5 Matthew 19. They all say the same thing the Bible is consistent Otherwise the Bible would not be God's work that can contradict itself and gave a mixed message Look at 1st Corinthians chapter 7. Is that where I have you turn? Not your head. All right 1st Corinthians 7 Look at verse number 10 and unto the married I command yet not I but the Lord Letting up the wife depart from her husband. Isn't that a clear statement? Don't leave your husband period but and if she depart Let her remain unmarried He says if she sins and disobeys the command in verse 10 because the command verse 10 was don't leave But if she does sin Let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband why because if she marries another man She's an adulterer and let not the husband put away his wife now I had somebody tell me one time they said well the Bible says But if she depart so there are some reasons why she should depart I said no Okay, the Bible says in 1st John 2 1 you have to understand there are grammatical parallels in the Bible in 1st John 2 1 the Bible says my little children these things right and even that she sinned not don't say But if any man sin we have an advocate with the father he's not condoning sin he's just saying well if you do sin It's painful by Jesus Christ well here. He's saying don't depart, but if she does depart now that she's already committed That's in she already made that mistake now. She needs to remain unmarried or Be reconciled to her husband and let not the husband put away his wife Now look at verse number 39 go down to verse number 39 The Bible reads the wife is bound by the law exactly what you'll see in Romans 7 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth, but if her husband be dead She is a liberty to be married to whom she will only in the Lord Now he starts out the chapter He starts out talking about marriage and divorce We starts out talking about the subject of divorce and leaving your spouse in verse 10, right? What did he start with a real clear statement saying don't do it And if you do it stay unmarried or be reconciled to your spouse Then he ends the chapter with a very clear statement saying kill dead you do part He says look when your husband dies even if you're divorced He said your husband's dead then go marry whoever you want your you're dealt with it But until then you have to remain unmarried or be reconciled to your husband That's way clearly teaches now There's a verse in chapter 7 that people will isolate and pull out of context as they always do When they have a false doctrine They'll take a verse in the middle of 1st Corinthians 7 and pull it out and abuse it and make it mean whatever they want That verse is 1st Corinthians 7 15 very famous verse. It's quoted all the time By people trying to justify sin the Bible reads in 1st Corinthians 7 15 But if the unbelieving depart let him depart a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases But God has called us to peace see This says that if you are married to an unbeliever and they leave you can go out and get remarried You can divorce some you can get remarried and everything's fine I was that's so ridiculous in light of what we just talked about we just saw all the clear commands of God We just saw how marriage is supposed to be a picture of Jesus Christ And he says I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee beat me spit on me I'll say forgive them father for they know not what they do But Look they'll say well look it says right there the unbelieving part now. Here's what it comes from a few different things number one Because of a lack of understanding of the English language notice the word let there in verse number 15 People who are misinterpreting this verse will say let him depart means like hey you allow him to depart like if he wants to leave Pack his bag for him. Okay. Yeah, he's not saying but your unsaved husband pack his bag and send them on his merry way Let him depart. Hey, buddy. You need some gas money. See you later. Okay, that's not what it's saying at all did you notice that the word let's just look down at your Bible look down at first Corinthians chapter 7 and Just scan the chapter. How many times see the word let? Do you see the word let a considerable amount of times None of the times that it's listed in the entire chapter does it ever mean allow ever have you ever heard this famous verse? Let there be light There was light Okay, does that mean allow there to be light? Would you the reader allow there to be light? Is that what it means? No? How about this Look at let me give you an example here Let me turn in my Bible to 1st Corinthians 7. I was reading off my notes and Just think about this logically. Okay in 1st Corinthians 7 Look at verse number Let's see here just trying to find a certain verse Here we go verse number 18, how about this one? Here's a good example I can pick a lot of examples from the chapter, but is any man called being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised Don't allow him to uncircumcised himself. Does that make any sense? No, it doesn't that's ridiculous doesn't make any sense. You're misunderstanding what it's saying. How about this verse revelation 22? You don't have to turn there. I'll read this for you Revelation 22 verse number 11. He that is unjust let him be unjust still and He which is filthy let him be filthy still is the same would you allow people to be filthy? Hey, let people be filthy. Let people be unjust. Is that what he's saying? No, he's saying look if they're gonna do it. They're gonna do it It's he's not saying you're supposed to allow them to do it like let there be light means it's gonna happen You're causing something to happen. Let there be light let there be a firmament between the waters Okay, let not the man put away his wife the Bible says in another place Okay, he's saying don't do it and so it's a it's a grammatical construction that's used throughout the Bible and I don't have time to Explain all the grammar of it and everything, but it's just not meaning allowed It doesn't mean to allow something something don't allow that guy to get circumcised stop him quick church at Corinth stop him from being circumcised No, it's just saying let him not be circumcised like don't do it. That's all it's saying But number two look at first Corinthians 7 15 again Let's look at the verses surrounding it instead of just pulling it out of context Let's start reading in verse number 12, but to the rest I speak I are you still in first Corinthians 7? But the rest speak I not the Lord if any brother hath a wife That believeth not so here's a man who has an unsafe wife and she be pleased to dwell with him Let him not put her away and the woman which hath been husband that believeth not and if he be pleased to dwell with her Let her not leave him say don't leave your spouse just because they're an unbeliever It says for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband else Were your children unclean, but now are they holy? I remember I was talking to a woman that was going to get a divorce And I told her I said, you know what I said your husband is living totally ungodly. I Said you're trying to live a clean and righteous life I said if you get a divorce Your kids will be with him half the time in the most ungodly environment. You won't even know what's going on You won't even be able to watch them. You don't even know what's happening I said, but if you stay married, you'll be with those kids every day teaching them the Bible teaching them what's right and You know what? The Bible says that if one parent is living for God if one parent is doing right It says those kids can turn out right isn't that what it just said? I mean read the verse It says elsewhere your children unclean if you divorce the unbeliever because half the time they're going to be over at his house or her house doing who knows what At least this way he says your children can be sanctified and clean because you're there with them every single day Because it only takes one parent to make those kids turn out right one parent living for God But you you know kids who come from divorce homes where they're staying with a very ungodly parent on one hand and a righteous parent On the other hand, who where did it which way do they end up going? Ungodly that's what they end up doing And so God says state stay with them and then look what he says in the next verse then here's the famous verse But if the unbelieving depart let him depart a brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases But God recalls the peace, but then look in verse 16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband. He's still saying stay with them or How knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife. You say well pastor, what does verse number 15 mean? If it's not telling me that I can go out and get remarried of course Which is never even mentioned in the verse if it's not telling me that I can divorce my spouse Which is never mentioned in the verse. What does it mean? Well? Here's what it's saying It's saying that if your unbelieving spouse departs from you It says you know if he's gonna depart he's gonna depart so it's saying if he depart let him depart and it says a Brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases what it's saying is you have the right to just remain unmarried You don't have to go chasing after him or something. You know you don't have to just force yourself You know I'm saying it's saying look if they depart He says you're not obligated to go after them or ever he says you have the option of just remaining unmarried and He said, but the ideal thing would be to reconcile their spouse We found out earlier in the chapter And so he's saying look if they depart and they just refuse to be with you And you want them to be with you you want to do what's right according to God And they just leave he says look if there's sometimes. There's nothing you can do about it Sometimes it's just not your fault. That's what he's saying It's not you that's doing anything wrong, but he's saying you have the option of Just waiting around being unmarried and when the sucker dies and in chapter in verse 39 No, I'm just kidding. You know when that sucker dies in verse 39. Hey, go marry whoever you want You say pass your hands, and I've been married and divorced five times in a row hey when all five of them are dead Have it hey you might be 84 years old But hey no, I mean I honestly believe that I mean if you've been married five times And all five of your husbands are dead go get married do everyone That's what the Bible says, but as long as your husband's living you're bound by the law of your husband you say wait a minute Pastor Anderson I've been divorced and remarried What am I supposed to do well the Bible says that if you've been divorced and remarried okay? That's a sin But hey, I've sinned too. We've all sinned all sin that comes from the glory of God. I've been divorced and remarried No, I haven't You're like wait a minute Did you get married when you're 14 and divorce when you're 16 now you got four kids, okay? And it happened okay, so look if you've been divorced and remarried Okay Are you supposed to go back to the first one no? God says that even if you're and I don't have time to go to all this scriptural you just take a time But the Bible teaches very clearly that if you're married, and then you get divorced and then get married again You can never go back to the first husband never So let's say you're married to your second husband, and he dies you say well. I'm now you did. I'm gonna go back to the first law Abomination the Bible says I say well. You know I was married to this wife I divorced her now. I've moved on, but now she died so now. I'm free. I'm gonna go back to her No find somebody else okay, actually don't find anybody else until she's dead in reality would be the truth wait until all your former spouses are dead now Obviously this has been perverted in today's world okay, and you say pastor Anderson you're being really harsh You should just have love you know you just if people want to you know people in divorce and remarried five times Just let them do it. You know don't expect them to be remain unmarried don't expect wait for five different guys to die Okay, it's all right look. Here's the thing these laws are meant to be a deterrent you understand that You say why do you think God should be a little more lenient about these things and should allow divorce and remarriage if he allowed Divorce and remarriage people be doing it all the time You think I'd be good for kids Think I'd be good for our society You think our society is good right now and more than half of marriages or any in divorce. No. It's not good God instituted a law to protect me to protect you to protect my children to protect us by giving us Some semblance of order of marriage that lasts for a lifetime Now look our society has made it just totally permissible to get divorced remarried divorced remarried do whatever you want And so you say well past national nobody ever taught me this and I've already made the mistake Hey, look. I'm not trying to condemn you at all But what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to teach this young generation here not to make the same mistake that you've made Now you can't go back and undo the mistakes that you've made and You say why I think it should be more permissible why so we can live in some permissive society Why so we can live in a promiscuous horrible society where people are wife swapping? Every couple of years. I mean their wife swapping every couple of years as it is What if God would have been more lenient in the Bible then what would they be doing? You understand what I'm saying? And so you have to understand the law of the law is perfect there's a reason why these rules are there and God pity the preacher maybe who didn't warn you about these things a long time ago. He should have been preaching, right? He said pastor and I said, why don't you preach a nice sermon? It's Sunday night. It's your wife's birthday Preach a nice sermon. Hey, you know what? Maybe this sermon will save somebody a lot of heartache down the road Because they didn't go through life Never having been warned by their preacher who was too much of a pansy Too much of a wimp to get up and say thus say it the Lord Say well, you might offend somebody who's divorced Look if everybody there's always going to be somebody who's divorced in church I mean we can never preach the Bible and I'm not trying to attack anybody who's divorced at all I'm trying to warn people haven't made the mistake Hey forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before it's in the past. It's over. It's done It's forgiven. It's paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. Don't worry about it But many independent fundamental Baptists even I was I was just scanning the internet looking at this just out of curiosity I was going to their statement of faith of what they believe And most of these statements of faith are just pretty much copied and pasted from one to the other They all are the same if you've looked at church on the internet, you know that they're copied and pasted like insane I wrote my I made up my own and that's why it looks nothing like any of theirs But I noticed a lot of them saying We think that divorce is wrong. They said except in cases of adultery or abandonment Because they're basically misusing first Corinthians 7 and they're misusing Matthew 5 32 and saying divorce and remarriage is wrong except in cases of adultery or abandonment now think think with me for a second Everybody can use those two excuses in almost any case. I Mean logic with me for a second Divorce means one person left the other person. Oh, it's abandonment So basically anybody who's ever been divorced can get remarried according to those standards as long as you're not the one that left So then what'll happen is I've seen couples in churches play this game where they try no you leave No, you leave you leave you leave because they don't want to be the one that left Tell me that isn't true. Okay, that is the truth No, I want you to leave and then they just they start to act hateful toward each other Just trying to push each other until one of them just has it and leaves and they're like, yes It's true. Hey, I've seen it happen. You can laugh about it, but you know, I've seen it happen I could name the names right now or how about this? I've been an independent fundamental Baptist Church that I thought was a great church You know what the pastor told people in his counseling office? Well, he's already left you emotionally. Okay, their husband had not left them Oh, he doesn't say I love you every five seconds. He's left the marriage emotionally He's already gone and and the woman even the woman didn't agree, you know, she's you think she'd be looking for weight She's like looking for a way out, but even she found and said like you're nuts. Yeah. Oh, he's already left emotionally He's emotionally abandoned you you can you can go ahead and get a divorce Is that ridiculous or how about this one? Oh, he looks at pornography Adultery you can get divorced Good night You know what then I guess every woman can divorce every man who's ever lived Because every man at one time or another has looked at a billboard wrong Right or has turned on the TV and seen something that was wrong and thought a bad thought Hey, I'm not without sin. Okay, you don't think I've ever thought pastor Anderson has never had a bad time Pastor Anderson come worship me after the service. Look every man has thought a bad thought. Oh, it's adultery No, no, no, no, there is no ground You know, you just repeat something often enough people think it's true. Hey, there's no such thing as crowns for divorce There's no such thing as grounds for lying to God There's no such thing as breaking about a God and there's a reason why you did that. That's acceptable. No, it's wrong. I Was or I've heard this also I've heard pastors say well Adultery is not a spectator sport So if you think he's committed adultery if you're reasonably sure that he might have You can go ahead and get a divorce because it's not like you're gonna catch him doing it So if you have some evidence that seems like he's been doing it that's enough and I'm not talking about like liberal churches I'm talking about King James only soul winning I'm talking about you know, independent fundamental Baptist churches where I've heard all these things said For many independent fundamental Baptist. They say well, I never tell anybody to get a divorce I've never counseled anyone to get a divorce. They'll they'll counsel people to get a separation. I Never tell anybody divorce. I just tell them to separate. Oh your husband's not treating you, right? Separate from him go get an apartment for a couple months until he straightens up That's departing that's departing from your husband. What does it depart me? That's what depart means if you ever been to the airport and there's arrivals and departures It means that you get in a vehicle and you go somewhere else. That's departing Don't depart your husband don't get on an airplane and fly across town don't get in the car and drive across town Hey, that's wrong You know and then they'll these these pastors will counsel women or and I've seen counsel men go get your own apartment She's doing this that's wrong and whatever You got to put some pressure on her. You need to go separate for a while get your own apartment and they do it You think that's gonna help their marriage being separate living in a separate house and then what happens eventually? And then that moron pastor moron Pastor idiot says I didn't tell him to get a divorce. I told her not to get a divorce You're the one who told me it separated you phony. Hey, listen you hypocrite. Hey, listen you liberal Why don't you stick with what the Bible said that a woman is supposed to obey her husband all the time? And then a woman is supposed to reference her husband all the time and that a man is supposed to love his wife No matter if she spits in his face beat them with a stick Hey love your wife that Christ love the church and gave himself for it Hey, look the Bible says that a man is supposed to have the commitment to his wife of Jesus Christ and The woman is supposed to treat her husband as if he is Jesus Christ And I'm supposed to treat my wife as if I'm Jesus Christ. That's the proper marriage. That's the truth That's right Now flip over if you would to 1st Timothy chapter 3 1st Timothy chapter number 3 Have you ever heard people say this well, I just married the wrong person ever people say that I Married the wrong person. Well, look, this is what it says in Proverbs 18 22 who so findeth a wife Who so find it a wife? Find it a good thing and obtain a favor of the Lord. God says no you did not marry the wrong person You have a wife. It's a good wife. Why don't you love her and sanctify her as Christ? Sanctified the church. Why don't you teach your wife to be the right kind of wife? He's saying and if you're the wife and you married a husband that you think is the wrong husband Well, I guess you have the wrong Jesus Christ then No, all the stories are deemed by God the Bible says the powers that be ordained of God You say well my husband is is not the right authority for me. Yes. He is He's ordained by God Authority Romans chapter 13 verse 1 & 2 but look at 1st Timothy chapter 3 will see the qualifications for a pastor in 1st Timothy 3 1 the Bible reads This is a true saying if a man desire the office of a bishop he desireth a good paycheck And I'm sorry if a man desire at the office of a bishop. He desireth a good title He desireth a good Fame. No, it's a desire the good work. He said look being a pastor means you work. Okay, that's it so just a lot of work and he says in verse number two a Bishop a bishop is referring to the pastor as I'm the pastor of this church then must be blameless the husband of one wife Vigilant sober of good behavior given the hospitality app to teach look down at verse number 12 There are two offices in the in the New Testament Church only two officers the bishop and the deacon period I'm the bishop We don't have any deacons because our church is not large enough to have deacons in the Bible They had a church of very large church before they had deacons the Bible reads let the deacons be the husbands of one wife Ruling their children and their own house as well. You say wait a minute pastor Anderson. I think that means one wife at a time I think that the hot pastoring the husband of one wife and literally this is what a lot of people believe I'm not making this up I believe that pastor should be the husband of one wife at a time because if you study the culture That's a Bible was written lots of people had multiple wives, which is true There were people in the Bible days that did have multiple wives. And so they had multiple wives He's saying the pastor can only have one wife, but it's not saying that he couldn't be divorced remarried It just means one wife at a time well turn the page one chapter because the Bible is always its own dictionary flip over to first Timothy chapter 5 and Look at first Timothy chapter 5 same book just two chapters later first Timothy chapter 5 verse sign Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore. That's 60 years old Having been the wife of one man Oh, let's talk about one man at a time right who in the world ever heard of a woman who's married to two men at? the same time That was never in any culture that was not in the Bible days No woman has ever been married to two men at the same time Now men have been married to more than one wife that happens all the time happens right now in 2007 But it does it happen that women just have multiple husbands, and so don't don't let grandma be supported by church Don't let this widow if she was married to multiple husbands. Yeah. He really needed to specify that that's ridiculous Yeah, it wasn't enough when he said well reported up for good works if she had brought up children if she had lost strangers I always say that a lot of women it should say if she had Lodged to children if you have brought up strangers when they put their kids in daycare and go work in some Christian school somewhere But anyway, I have nothing to do with the sermon look at verse number 14 In verse number 14 the Bible says I will therefore that the younger women married Their children guide the house given an occasion to the adversary to speak repose fully for some are already turned aside after Satan God has defined himself here when he's talking about a woman being the wife of one man What he's saying is that she was not divorced and remarried obviously She wasn't married to this guy for a while, then she was married to a different man for a while It's saying that she was the wife of one man now That's not to say that her husband couldn't have died when she was young because what is the Bible say for her to do? in verse 14 If she's under 60 and her husband dies get remarried That's what he tells them to do so is he gonna Then punish her and say all right your husband died when you were 25, and then you married another man You can't be a widow No, that's not what he's saying at all He's talking about when he says haven't been the wife of one man meaning she wasn't divorced remarried is what he's saying Did you follow that? That's exactly what he meant in 1st Timothy chapter 3 when he says that the pastor needs to be the husband of one wife Is that safe his wife dies he gets remarried he can't be the pastor no But it's saying he cannot be divorced and remarried because he has to be blameless and that's something that people would look at and say Good night. This is not who I want my role model to be he's a double married preacher. He's double married He's committed adultery and so he cannot be the pastor now Look if you would have John chapter 4 and I'll close with this John chapter 4 verse number 13 Mm-hmm John chapter 4 verse number 13 Now look marriages till death does two part if I die I told my wife many times not talk her this from the Bible I've taken the Bible and talk her and I sat my wife down and said honey if I die I want you to get remarried You know as soon as possible now. Don't just marry the first idiot that comes along Don't just say come on. You know you just see you're replacing You know don't just marry the first yahoo that waltzes through the door But you know what I told her I said look you should get married as soon as you can Don't think it's noble to not get remarried I said you ought to get remarried the Bible says to get remarried because these kids need to have a dad to raise him You know you have a man out there. You'd have a father and so if I die I want my wife to get remarried and if she dies I will get remarried okay, but if that's what the Bible says to do but look if you would at John chapter 4 and verse number 13 and And we're going to see a story about a woman in the Bible who was married five times Okay, look at John chapter 4 verse number 13 the Bible reads I'm sorry. I'm on page John 4 13 Jesus answered and said unto her whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life The woman sayeth unto him sir Give me this water that I thirst not neither come hither to draw Jesus sayeth unto her go call thy husband and come hither The woman answered and said I have no husband Jesus said unto her thou as well said I have no husband for thou has had five husbands and He whom thou now has is not thy husband and that thou says truly so here's a woman who's been married And she got divorced and she got married again And she got divorced and she got married again And she got divorced and she got married again, and she got divorced and she got married again And then she got divorced say you know what why don't we just live together? Okay? This is already done That's five times. That's what's going on in the story, and it says the woman sayeth unto him sir I perceive the power to profit Our father's worse than this man, and she goes on to talk to him But look what the Bible says in verse 27 upon this came his disciples and marveled that he talked with the woman Yet, no man said what seekest thou why talkest thou with her? I mean I think that's asked him so you know who they're dealing with here Said the woman then left her water pot and went away into the city and sayeth to the men Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ Then they went out of the city and came unto him and the meanwhile his disciples prayed saying master eat But he said unto them I have made to eat That you know not of therefore said the disciples wonder another if any man brought him ought to eat He said you understand I'd rather win souls than eat a meal And he says my meat is to do the will of him that send me and to finish his work Say not ye there are yet four months and then cometh harvest Behold I say unto you lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest now he that reapeth receiveth wages and gather its fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together and Here it is that same true one so with another reapeth I sent you to reap that one you bestowed no labor and other men labored and you're entered into their labors and Many watch this many of the Samaritans of the city Believed on him for the saying of the woman Which testified he told me all that ever I did now here look here. We see Jesus Christ Going to a woman that had been divorced and remarried five times skipping a meal skipping lunch Skipping his disciples Skipping everything else and all the other people are going up. He said this is who I'm going to spend my time talking to He has an in-depth in a long conversation with her. He gets her saved He wins her to Christ and what does that woman do she goes out and gets a huge amount of people saved in her city You say oh, I've been divorced remarried. God can't use me Hey, God can still use you if you've been divorced remarried she had been divorced remarried four times Hey go for five and then God can still use you because God's saying here even a woman God doesn't love me. I've messed up my life. Hey look God loved this woman And I think that's why God put an extreme example of five times Because most people are not going to exceed five times. Maybe you've exceeded five times. I don't know. You know Elizabeth Taylor Are you here tonight? Okay, Elizabeth Taylor. I think is married and divorced what seven times eight times But it doesn't matter he's saying look no matter how much you've done in your past No matter if you've been divorced remarried Don't go around with your sticking your lip out or something because some preacher got up and preach against divorce Hey, you know what you like it or lump it when the preacher preach against divorce But don't ever let that hold you back and say I can't be used of God I can't be a part of this search God can't use me to win so hey God used this woman to win more souls than most people in the Bible Then most Christians I know I mean she won a big part of this whole city to the Lord Most Christians have never even won one person to the Lord But many many many people believed on Jesus Christ through the word of a woman who had been married and divorced five times I'll guarantee you. I promise you when that woman gets to heaven she's gonna get big-time awards for all those souls that she won and You say wasn't God gonna slap her around for getting ready to go stuff. I'm gonna mention it to her I'm gonna bring it up He's gonna say well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord and some some some lame Non soul winning preacher, huh some preacher who who wanted to point out everybody sin But they were not a soul winner and never won somebody to Christ and yes There are a lot of pastors who've never personally won somebody to Christ They're gonna get there and their works are gonna be burned up They're gonna get hardly anything, but the woman who was a soul winner is gonna get the big-time rewards So don't let this get you down Don't think that I'm preaching against you if you're divorced or remarried. I'm not preaching as you will if you're divorced I'm not preaching against you. I'm preaching against sin so that the people who've not yet made the mistake So the people who are still married or the people that are unmarried will not make the same mistakes They'll learn now before they make the mistake you say well. I'm on my fifth husband What do I do stay married to your fifth husband if you divorce them? It's a sin Stick with the one that you're on you can't go back to two So I know you'd like to go back to number three I know number four has changed a lot, but look one two three and four are gone their history Stick with number five number five is the mr. Right for you, and I'm telling you right now God's will is for you to be with number five and by the way let me just stick this in since everybody's laughing anyway Let me just insert this into the sermon Why do you think this woman got divorced remarried five times? Because number two was worse than number one and then number three was even worse and number four was even worse and number five Okay, that's why Because people get divorced and remarried the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence The next guy is gonna be just as big of a jerk as this guy is Your next wife is gonna nag you even more okay? Well hey It's gonna be the same thing and these are think maybe you were the problem You know it's all right. Sorry But anyway the point is hey going down this road of saying well, I'm just gonna divorce I'm gonna close with this statement I Talked to somebody who who did not get a divorce Who I strongly advise not to get a divorce and I and I preached this to them and their pastor was telling them to separate and divorce all this junk and I said to this girl I said don't do it and I explained him from the Bible why I taught him all this from the Bible I showed her over and over don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it and she didn't do it and she looked happily ever after and This is what she said to me. I'm gonna close with this quote this statement She said you know what she said when I thought about doing it when I thought about divorcing my husband and boy She had it. You know she had what some people would consider grounds for divorce You know and and she said you know what when I thought about doing it She said the guilt was unbearable And she said you know what? Don't ever stop preaching The divorce is never okay, but guess she said you know what if you tell people that it's okay under certain circumstances the guilt Is worse than anything the guilt is worse and your gift Jesus has forgiven you, but you know what sometimes You're gonna have a hard time forgiving yourself Even when Jesus forgives you of things and she said you know what the guilt is more Unbearable than anything and I've watched people I've known how about the bad examples that I've told not to get a divorce that are divorced today I watched the guilt eat them up. I watched them flip out and go up the deep end I watched them hate themselves and hate their life and be disgusted with life And I've watched them as they suffered the guilt of knowing that they did wrong for God And that they committed a greed of sin before God now if you've done it Don't I don't want you to feel that way you shouldn't feel that way God doesn't want you to have any conscience of sins the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10 he says you need to forget the past you need to accept the fact that Jesus Christ has forgiven all your sins and you need to move on and Realize that Jesus paid it all but you know what that doesn't change the fact that some people will still struggle with that guilt and So you better think twice before you? Decide that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence because it's not And you better just decide to stick with whoever you're married to Stick with what God says get on your knees every day about anything not just about divorce not about remarriage Hey, just get on your knees and open the Bible say God What do you want me to do because I'll guarantee you I don't care if I were if you were in a prison cell I? Don't care if if you were bankrupt financially I don't care if you're living out on the street in a cardboard box Boy it feels good to go to bed and say you know what I'm right with God It feels good feels good to be able to look up to heaven and say you know what God. I love you and You love me, but I love you, and I kept your commandments because I love you and pretty soon They that are married will be as David or not married and they that are not married they they're married because we're all going to be in heaven anyway, and he says I Just I just love to be able to just look up to God to say you know what I'm right with God And you know nothing can replace that no fancy car in the driveway no perfect little marriage No, perfect little children can replace the feeling of putting your head on your pillow and saying I'm right with God now None of us is perfect But trust me it feels a lot better to be right with God Than to lay your head on your pillow and say well. I got everything I wanted But I did it in disobedience Okay, that's that's a guilty feeling that a lot of people can't handle. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer God I pray that you would help everyone here to know that I love them and that and that you love them dear God And that I'm not trying to condemn anybody Jesus said to the to the woman that was taken in adultery in the very act in John chapter 8 He said neither do I condemn thee Go thy way and sin no more. He says in John 3 17 God sent out his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved He that believeth on him is not condemned and so God there's now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus and Father I just pray that you would help everyone in the in the room who's been divorced and remarried to know that there's no condemnation It's all in the past all forgiven, but God help those that have not yet made the mistake to remember What you taught in the Bible and what you clearly said and never to make excuses for their actions But to understand that it would be a great privilege To suffer a bad marriage and to suffer being abandoned Maybe even for a long time or to suffer physical abuse because they'd be a partaker of the sufferings of Jesus Christ And I know that's not popular to say and not popular to priests, but it's the Bible And I love you dear God. I pray that everyone in the room would receive the message And spirit that it was delivered dear God and in Jesus name I pray. Amen All right, let's go ahead and sing one last song let's turn our songbooks