Greetings, kindred. Before we get into the passage this morning, would you join me wherever you are (if you can) and just pause? Plant your feet to the ground, feel your body connect to the earth below you that God created. Just take a few deep breaths and listen in the silence. God is present with you, be still and know. Today’s passage is on marriage. Praise King Jesus.
Matthew 19.1-12
1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”
[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?
+ In verse 3, why were the pharisees testing Jesus?
+ What value does the bible put on marriage? (v4-6)
+ What is the relation of marriage between humans to Christ and the church? (see ephesians 5:22-33 emphasis v32)
+ How long does God intend for marriage to last?
+ Although divorce is permitted as a result of sexual immorality, is it required?
+ What is verse 10-12 talking about?
[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?
+ Is there a sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ How can you become a better apprentice of Jesus by following what we see in this passage?
[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?
+ What is my next step?