Adultery and Divorce
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Textual Sermon Outlines Tags: Sermons on Adultery, Sermons on DivorceTHE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: Adultery and Divorce, Matthew 5:27-33
INTRODUCTION:
A. Though our society takes adultery lightly, it is a serious offense in the eyes of God
1. God listed it right after murder in the Ten Commandments – Exodus 20:13-14
2. He made it a capital offense in the Old Testament, worthy of the death penalty – Leviticus 20:10
3. God has promised to judge those who are adulterers
a. Hebrews 13:4
b. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
4. Adultery destroys friendships, marriages, and families, contributing to the destruction of many children’s lives!
5. How can one avoid the sin of adultery?
B. Divorce is a big problem in our society as well
1. We live in an age of easy divorce…
a. Many if not all states have “no-fault” divorce laws
b. In some cases, all it takes is for one person to decide to have a divorce, and their spouse can do nothing to prevent it
2. What does God think about divorce?
a. What was His view of divorce in the Old Testament?
b. What does He think of it now?
C. Remember Jesus challenged His disciples – Matthew 5:20
1. He illustrated what He meant through a series on contrasts
a. Between what they had heard from those of old
b. And what He was now declaring to them
2. In this lesson we are going to address the issues of adultery and divorce
DISCUSSION:
A. ADULTERY
1. The oral traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees certainly repeated the written commandment found in the Law – Matthew 5:27
a. But they evidently stressed that as long as one did not commit the actual act, one was not guilty of anything
b. Thereby emphasizing the “letter” of the Law, but not appreciating the “spirit” behind the Law as well
2. Jesus taught differently
a. One does not have to commit the “act” to be guilty of sin
b. One is just as guilty when one “looks at a woman to lust for her” – Matthew 5:28
c. If a woman sees her husband lusting, can she divorce him for adultery? The answer is “no” for the following reasons:
1) Jesus adds the phrase in your heart which separates it from the actual act of adultery.
2) This is not the same as “the act” of adultery, which requires two people (John 8:4).
3) The sin of adultery requires the two becoming one flesh (1 Cor. 6:16).
d. Notice also that is not the “looking” per se that is wrong, but the looking “to lust” for her
1) To “lust” means to have a strong desire for, to possess and dominate completely
2) A person may look at another with admiration for beauty and not be guilty of “lust”
3. Jesus’ interpretation was in harmony with the Law
a. Notice that the Tenth Commandment condemned coveting a neighbor’s wife – Exodus 20:17
b. Even in the time of Job, to “look at a woman to lust for her” was considered wrong – Job 31:1
c. So the problem begins in the heart – Mark 7:21-23
1) If we can prevent the lusting in the heart (or the “lustful eye”), the problem of adultery is “nipped in the bud”!
2) Jesus goes on to say what we should do with respect to the lustful eye or any other stumbling blocks…
4. Matthew 5:29-30
a. That Jesus is not being literal should be obvious, for one could still stumble with the left eye or hand
b. The key to understanding this passage is found in Matthew 18:7-9
1) The “eye” and “hand” represent “offenses”
2) Offenses are “stumbling blocks” that lead to sin
3) These would be enticements to do wrong, beguiling allurements
c. The meaning of Jesus’ teaching:
1) “Take drastic action in getting rid of whatever in the natural course of events will tempt you to sin” (Hendriksen)
2) Such should be the case in regards to ALL sin, as well as the sin of adultery
3) As we contemplate Jesus’ words, there are several…
5. Important lessons to be learned:
a. The present is not our only life – we are destined for eternity
b. Nothing, no matter how precious, should be allowed to doom our glorious destiny
c. Sin, being a very destructive force, must not be pampered
B. DIVORCE
1. Matthew 5:31
a. This was the “traditional” interpretation of Deuteronomy 24:1-4; handed down orally
b. In applying the Law, they had focused on the idea of giving certificates of divorce
c. They concluded divorce was permissible as long as a certificate of divorce was given
2. Is this what Jesus actually said?
a. Lets read Deuteronomy 24:1-4 carefully…
1) Verses 1-3 simply describe a particular situation
2) It is in verse 4 that Moses actually commands what must not be done
a) Which was: “her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination to the Lord”
b) This passage is simply forbidding a man to remarry his wife after she had been married to another – Jeremiah 3:1
c. Note also Paul’s understanding of the Law – Romans 7:1-3
1) A woman was bound by the Law to her husband as long he lived
2) If she married another while her first husband was still living (implying a certificate of divorce was given), she became an adulteress (i.e., defiled)!
3) So the scribes and Pharisees had interpreted the Law to permit divorce as long as a certificate of divorce was given to the wife. But this was not what the Law taught
4) What does Jesus say?
3. Matthew 5:32
a. The only acceptable grounds for divorce is fornication, or sexual immorality
b. Otherwise, divorcing ones spouse “causes him/her to commit adultery”
1) How? By placing them in a position where they are likely to remarry, in which they become an adulteress or adulterer
2) This is what the Law implied in Deut. 24:4 and Jer. 3:1
c. Jesus made clear what the Law itself implied: To divorce a woman for any reason other than sexual immorality would cause her to be defiled (when she remarried)!
d. Jesus goes on to say that anyone who marries a person who has been divorced (lit. “put away”) also commits adultery!
e. A person who is divorced for reasons OTHER than adultery cannot remarry
f. Nor can a person “put away” for the reason of adultery remarry
1) For such a person is an “adulteress” or “adulterer”
2) As such, is “defiled” and would thereby cause anyone who married that person to commit adultery!