11/14/2019 —
SYNOPSIS
The culture can't tell the good guys from the bad guys – and increasingly, neither can the Church. God has set standards for right and wrong, but mankind throughout history has arrogantly substituted it's opinions for His commands. Mature believers must not succumb to this travesty of divine justice.
Our culture considers divorce an easy way out of a mistake, a prescription for temporal unhappiness in a relationship. And it is unavoidable in some extreme instances. But divorce is just as prevalent in the Church as it is in the culture, and that is unacceptable! Married believers should be models of perseverance and commitment, not a reflection of what all too commonly happens outside the church building.
EDUCATION
Isaiah 5:18-25
“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood
and sin as if with a cart rope,
who say, 'Let Him make speed
and hasten His work,
that we may see it;
and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel
draw near and come,
that we may know it!'
Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil;
who exchange darkness for light,
and light for darkness;
who exchange bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and prudent in their own sight!
Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine,
and men of strength to mingle strong drink,
who justify the wicked for a reward,
and take away the justice of the righteous from him!
Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble
and the flame consumes the chaff,
so their root shall be as rottenness,
and their blossom shall go up as dust;
because they have cast away the law of the LORD of Hosts
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people,
and He has stretched out His hand against them, and has stricken them,
and the hills trembled.
Their corpses were torn in the midst of the streets.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
and His hand is still stretched out" (MEV).
Ephesians 5:15-33
"So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes. And don’t live foolishly for then you will have discernment to fully understand God’s will. And don’t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion; instead be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And your hearts will overflow with a joyful song to the Lord Jehovah. Keep speaking to each other with words of Scripture, singing the Psalms with praises and spontaneous songs given by the Spirit! Always give thanks to Father God for every person he brings into your life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And out of your reverence for Christ be supportive of each other in love.
"For wives, this means being supportive to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord, for the husband provides leadership for the wife, just as Christ provides leadership for his church, as the Savior and Reviver of the body. In the same way the church is devoted to Christ, let the wives be devoted to their husbands in everything.
"And to the husbands, you are to demonstrate love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, his bride. For he died for us, sacrificing himself to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God. All that he does in us is designed to make us a mature church for his pleasure, until we become a source of praise to him—glorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw.
"Husbands have the obligation of loving and caring for their wives the same way they love and care for their own bodies, for to love your wife is to love your own self. No one abuses his own body, but pampers it—serving and satisfying its needs. That’s exactly what Christ does for his church! He serves and satisfies us as members of his body.
"For this reason a man is to leave his father and his mother and lovingly hold to his wife, since the two have become joined as one flesh. Marriage is the beautiful design of the Almighty, a great and sacred mystery—meant to be a vivid example of Christ and his church. So every married man should be gracious to his wife just as he is gracious to himself. And every wife should be tenderly devoted to her husband” (TPT).
APPLICATION
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Isaiah warns of sorrow that will come to people who confuse what is good and what is evil.
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The devil doesn't have to keep you out of church - he is fine if you are in church, if the church isn't firm on sound biblical doctrine.
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Increasingly the Church is not distinguishable from the world. One area where this is true in particular is in its marriage relationships. The pre-eminent Christian researcher George Barna has long documented that the rate of divorce among evangelical Christians is on a par with that of the culture at large. That ought not be!
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Biblical marriage is based on an unshakable commitment between a husband and wife to love each other, no matter what - and most marriages encounter plenty of 'what.'
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Divorce is unavoidable in some extreme situations. Scripture recognizes that, and permits divorce and remarriage in some specific situations. But outside of those situations, the word 'divorce' should never be spoken in a Christian household. A commitment to marriage is in the best interest of the couple, the immediate family, the extended family and the community at large.
IMPARTATION
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for setting a standard for me to follow as a believer! I understand the need to model Your standards to my circles of influence. I cannot point the way to You if I am not reflecting Your glory and Your holiness. Your Word is like a pitch pipe, demonstrating exactly what I need to be in tune with You.
Order my steps in my life and especially in my relationships to be a living, breathing demonstration of who You are and what You require of Your people. Make me an example to others, Heavenly Father.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ – Jehovah Joshua Messiah – I pray. Amen!