Sunday Sermon by Jory Leong, 19th Feb 2012 @ SSMC

2. When “I Do”
becomes “I Don’t”

6. What happens
when “I Do”
becomes “I Don’t”?

8. When “I Do” becomes “I Don’t”
“I Do” Don’t”
1. What does the
Bible say about
Divorce?
2. What to do in a
struggling
marriage?

9. Marriage is intended
to be lifelong
Matthew 19:6
“So they are no longer
two, but one flesh.
Therefore what God
has joined together,
let no one separate.”

10. 1. Absolutely Not ??

11. Absolutely Not ??
Mark 10:11-12
(see also Luke 16:18)
“He answered, “Anyone who
divorces his wife and marries
another woman commits
adultery against her. And if
she divorces her husband
and marries another man,
she commits adultery.”

12. Philippines
Vatican City

13. 1. Absolutely Not ??
2. Adultery

14. Adultery
Matthew
19:3-9

15. Matthew 19:3-9
19:3-
 v.3 - Pharisee wanted to test Jesus: “Can a
man divorce his wife for any reason”?
reason”?

16. Deuteronomy 24:1 (KJV) “When a man hath taken
a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that
she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath
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.”

17. “no favour”?
“uncleanness”?
Rabbi Hillel – burning the food, nagging …
Rabbi Shammai – unfaithful / adultery …
Rabbi Akiba – found a prettier woman …

18. Matthew 19:3-9
19:3-
 v.3: Pharisee wanted to test Jesus: “Can a man
divorce his wife for any reason”?
reason”?
 vv.4-6: Jesus reminded that marriage is
vv.4-
lifelong.
lifelong.
 v.7: Pharisees asked why Moses commanded
a man to give his wife certificate of divorce.
 v.8: Jesus said divorce is permitted (not
commanded) because hearts were hard. hard.
 v.9: Divorce is allowed if a spouse commits
v.9:
sexual immorality.
immorality.

19. Adultery
Matthew 19:9
“I tell you that anyone who divorces his
wife, except for sexual immorality, and
marries another woman commits
adultery.”
“porneia”

20. Dear Abby;
I am in love and I am having an affair
with two different women other than
my wife. I love my wife but I love these
other women too. Please tell me what
to do, but don’t give me any that
morality stuff.
Signed:
Too much love for only one.

21. Dear Too much love for only
one;
The only difference between humans
and animals is morality.
Please write to a veterinarian.
Signed:
Abby.

22. 1. Absolutely Not ??
2. Adultery
3. Abandonment

23. Abandonment
1 Corinthians 7:12-15
12 …. If any brother has a wife who is not a
believer and she is willing to live with him, he must
not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband
who is not a believer and he is willing to live with
her, she must not divorce him. …15 But if the
unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the
sister is not bound in such circumstances; God
has called us to live in peace.

24. 1 Corinthians 7:12-15
7:12-
 Paul was repeating the teaching of Jesus -
husbands and wives not to separate.
 Paul addressed a different situation - mixed
marriages.
 vv.12-13: Paul affirms that Christians
vv.12-
should not initiate a divorce just because
the spouse is not a believer.
 v.15: But if unbelieving spouse abandons
the spouse, the innocent spouse is not
bound by the marriage.

25. 1. Absolutely Not ??
2. Adultery
3. Abandonment
4. Abuse ??

26. Abuse ??
Colossians 3:19 “Husbands, love your
wives and do not be harsh with them.”
1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way
be considerate as you live with your
wives, and treat them with respect as the
weaker partner….”

27. Abuse ??
Extension of 1 Corinthians 7:15 ??
1 Corinthians 7:15
“But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so.
The brother or the sister is not bound in
such circumstances.”

28. Adultery
Abandonment
Abuse

29. What to do in a
struggling marriage?
Be Christlike

30. Marriage is to be an
ongoing demonstration
of the sacrificial love
that Christ showed His
church
(Ephesians 5:21-33)

31. “What if God
designed
marriage to make
us holy more
than to make us
happy?”

32. “If the purpose of marriage were merely happiness
and romance, I’d have to find someone new about
every two years (and some do!). But if holiness is
God’s focus, then living with a difficult spouse is an
opportunity for me to grow in Christlikeness, for me
to be transformed.
If I focus on changing myself rather
than trying to change my spouse, I
find I must depend on God and in
that process I will find deep
fulfillment.”

34. What to do in a
struggling marriage?
Be Christlike
Be Prayerful

35. (Amplified Bible)
“Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in
your prayer life, being both alert and intent in
your praying with thanksgiving.”
Colossians 4:2
“Devote yourselves
to prayer, being
watchful and
thankful.”

37. What to do in a
struggling marriage?
Be Christlike
Be Prayerful
Be Resolute

38. “Love at first sight,
Leave at first fight”

40. MiG-
MiG-29
Jet Fighter

41. What to do in a
struggling marriage?
Be Christlike
Be Prayerful
Be Resolute

45. "Here is the stuff of which fairy tales
are made, the prince and princess on
their wedding day. But fairy tales
usually end at this point with the
simple phrase, 'They lived happily ever
after.' This may be because fairy tales
regard marriage as an anticlimax after
Archbishop the romance of courtship. This is not
Robert the Christian view. Our faith sees the
wedding day not as a place of arrival
Runcie
but the place where the adventure
begins."

47. 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
300 sextillion stars
Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.”
… verse 4 “He determines the number of
the stars and calls them each by name.”