Matthew 5:31-32

The Right Side up Life  / Matthew 5:31–32

Introduction

We have to remember that some things are still incredibly important.  And the church has to go back to remembering what it is that we find most important.  That is the work of the sermon on the mount.  It shows us what leads to flourishing in Christ. What, not just a life is, but what a good life looks like. 

So in order to understand that we have to go back to those things that Christ called important.  And for this morning He calls marriage important.

So we are going to look at what marriage does

And then what divorce does

And in both cases we will be led to the same conclusion, we are in desperate need of grace in our lives. 

What does marriage do?

Genesis 2:19–25 ESV

Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Let’s look at Ephesians 5:25–30 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body.”

This is a direct line between how we act in marriage and how Christ treats the church. That is why, for the Christian, marriage matters. 

That is why, for the Christian, we are not called to treat it lightly or glibly.

Matthew 5:31–32 ““It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

We stop paying attention to all the foundational institutions in society.  We walk away from marriages, we walk away from commitments.

The reason divorce matters is because marriage matters.  We have approached things far too glibly and we are paying the prices for it. 

What do we do from here?

I am going to be borrowing from your friend and mine, Augustine,

We must never despair of anyone ever.

Patience is required in marriage

And Patience is how Christ deals with us

2 Peter 3:8–9 ESV

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Our work as the church is to call important what Christ calls important.  Marriage, and from that relationships, are of high importance.  In order to do well in our marriage, to live reconciled lives, it will be needed to not despair of anyone ever.  And when we can’t uphold that, turn to Christ who can.