Susquehanna Valley Church of Christ

Footnotes: Dealing with Sin’s Threat

You must purge the evil from among you. – (Deuteronomy 21.21b)

On March 28, 1979, America experienced its worst ever nuclear accident – a partial meltdown of the reactor core at the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania. I was attending college in Philadelphia at the time and was advised to stay as far away from the Middletown vicinity as possible. During the tension-packed week that followed, sketchy reports and conflicting information led to panic, and more than one hundred thousand residents, mostly families with children and pregnant women, fled the greater Harrisburg area. I remember driving from Philadelphia to my parents’ home in central Pennsylvania for the weekend when the TMI disaster first occurred. Traveling through nearby Harrisburg, there was barely another vehicle on any of the roads – it was a bit eerie.

Government and TMI officials did not know for days the full extent of the risks to the public and the government had gone into emergency production of Potassium Iodide (abbreviated "KI") solution to help protect the public. Here’s a quote from the book "Nuclear War Survival Skills", regarding the serious nature of the TMI nuclear meltdown:

Part One: "What About Marriage?"

(Matthew 19:3-6)

Introduction:

1. Rumblings from entertainment figures and now from psychologists ("Dr. Keith")

are confirming what is happening in society. Marriage is on the decline. A decade back the number of divorces almost reached the number of marriages per year. Now over one in four couples decide to "live together" versus being married.

2. The unfortunate consequence of all this is that it also affects our thinking on marriage!

3. Note: there is some information that we need to remember...

A. What we think is right is not God's way!

1. Remember Naaman in 2 Kings 5:11 - "I thought..."?

2. Scripture says that we are not "self-guided" (Proverbs 14:12; Jeremiah 10:23).

3. Why can't we rely on self? God's way is higher (Isaiah 55:8-9).

B. We need to depend on God's word.

1. It is our all-authoritative standard (John 12:48).

2. It is all-sufficient, it's all we need (II Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3).

4. What about our text in Matthew 19:3-6? How should we view what Jesus says about marriage? We need to look at some fact and attitudes about marriage that we need to have...

Part Two: "What About Divorce?"

(Matthew 19:7-12)

Introduction:

1. Marriage is on the decline. Now over one in four couples decide to "live together" versus being married. Our thinking on marriage has been affected!

Jesus taught in Matthew 19:3-6 that marriage was a lifelong commitment between

a man and a woman. But what about divorce?

2. Last time we realized that what we think is right is not God's way. We need to

depend on God's word! This time around we also need to remember:

A. Just because it is legal does not mean it is moral or scriptural (e.g. abortion,

homosexuality, etc.).

B. God expects us to change (see I Corinthians 6:9-10; Luke 17:3-4; 18:18-30). There will be more to follow on this in the next lesson.

3. Background on Matthew 19:7-12...

A. The question was over the reason for divorce ("uncleanness" (lit. "detestable thing") in Deuteronomy 24:1).

B. Two schools of thought during the time of Jesus:

1. Rabbi Hillel taught that "uncleanness" meant anything that the man did not

like in the women.

2. Rabbi Shammai taught that "uncleanness" meant sexual immorality.

4. As we study this most controversial passage remember what Jesus asks in Luke 6:46, "But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?"

This is a subject that this writer knows is going to upset some of his readers. It may cause you grief and perhaps even make you angry. However, we do have an obligation to teach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:20). In his day, the prophet Jeremiah had to teach God's people some things they did not want to hear, and that he did not want to have to teach (i.e. about the coming fall of Jerusalem, Jer. 20:9). This is may be a subject many of you do not want to hear and this writer isn't necessarily eager to teach about, but will because it is a part of God's Word and we need to be taught it. Let us consider, What does the Bible teach about repentance and how it applies to marriage, divorce and remarriage.

The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message" "Alter your course

10 degrees south." Promptly a return message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north." The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am the captain!" Soon another message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north—

I am seaman third class Jones." Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am a battleship." Then the reply came "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am a lighthouse."

The captain in that story was about to run his ship into the ground where the lighthouse was until he finally submitted to the message from the lighthouse. God's Word is described as a lighthouse (Psa. 119:105). How often do we as men find ourselves heading in a direction of self destruction, while the lighthouse of God' Word is trying to direct us into a path of safety and we refuse to listen to it (Prov. 14:12; cf. Psa. 119:133).

In order for us to let God direct our steps so we can walk in the pathway of safety and not destruction we must be willing to submit to God (James 4:7). Submitting to God is easier said than done. Submission to God has not been something than man has been eager to do. Consider some areas in which we need to demonstrate a submissive attitude in our lives. First, we need to...