SERMON OUTLINE Sunday Oct 11th, 2020
The “D” Word – Pastor David Cooke
“You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by
merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man
who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her
to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman
also commits adultery.” Matthew 5:31–32 (NLT)
• A Story…
• That’s Gonna Leave A Mark
A. The Adventure Life – It leaves a mark
B. The Challenge of Being Married
C. The Connection of Marriage (Matthew 19:3–6)
• Why Marriage?
Marriage is a primary metaphor throughout scripture of
God’s covenant love toward his people.
• The Damage of Divorce
• The World Jesus Spoke Into
• You have heard it said…..
i) The Extraordinary Pro-Woman Stance of Jesus
ii) How Women Were Seen
A Biblical Example: John 4:16–18
• But I tell you…
i) Jesus is upholding a high view of marriage
ii) Divorce Leaves A Mark
– There are consequences
The Connection of Marriage
a) Body – sexual union
b) Soul – spiritual union
c) Emotion – heart union
d) Mind – intellectual union
– It forces people to live outside of God’s best
– It puts you at the crossroad of Bitter Road and Better Road
• The “D” Word?
– Damaged (Goods)
– The Work of Grace (Revelation 21:3–5)
– The Work of Jesus
•
• How Do We Live?
– Walk With People In Grace
– Receive Grace:
– We all live with the “D” word – we are all Damaged
– You are not irredeemable
– Your past does not have to define you
• Surrender – Follow – Listen – Do
The Gospel – the Good News of Jesus – is that we are forgiven by
God. Because we are forgiven, through the Spirit of God we have
been given the power to forgive. No forgiveness, no freedom. In
forgiveness, there is freedom. Freedom to love and be loved.
(2 Corinthians 5:21, John 8:36, Luke 19:10)
SERMON STUDY GUIDE
We meet in Life Groups to: Connect deeper with God and each other through
prayer and relationship. Connect the Bible to life. Connect with our community
through serving.
ICE BREAKER: Complete the sentence “I wish everyone could…”
PRAYER: God is worthy to be sought – take time to pray together in your group.
HOW TO READ THE BIBLE
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to
make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and
teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do
every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT)
Ask yourselves the following questions as you read this week’s Bible passage…
What is God asking me to believe?
What is God asking me to do?
How is God preparing me to live more effectively for him?
For free tips and resources on what is in the Bible and
how to read it, visit www.thebibleproject.com. The Bible
Project creates free videos that show the Bible as a.
unified story that leads to Jesus. To find out more about
this ministry, check out this short video:
https://youtu.be/vFwNZNyDu9k.
SERMON SERIES: “Unshakeable: Living The Words of Jesus”
In this sermon series we explore how to live according to Jesus’ teachings in
Matthew chapters 5-7. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom. It is something we
are not only to know, but to do, to live. And when we do that, we are
immoveable, unshakeable because the foundation is Jesus and he is the Rock
of our salvation that is immoveable and unshakeable.
Reference: The Essence: Unpacking Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (2020). Winslade. Wipf Stock Pub.
THIS WEEK: Matthew 5:31-32 “The ‘D’ Word”
Watch the weekend’s sermon: http://www.coldspringschurch.net/sermons.html.
EXPLORING TOGETHER
There is value in sharing perspectives about the weekend message in
community. With dialogue around God’s truths, perspective broadens and
impacts transformation.
1. What is something from this weekend’s message that stood out to you? How
so?
TAKING IT HOME
In reading Jesus’ commentary on a subject like divorce it is crucial to do so with
first-century middle-eastern eyes. Jesus challenged the religious leaders who
were giving a truncated or incomplete version of teaching on marriage.
2. Why do you think God places such a strong emphasis on the permanence of
marriage?
3. Implicit in Jesus’ teaching is the defense of women, who were hugely oppressed in the culture of his day. What does this imply about God’s view of any
power differentials in marriages today?
4. In what kinds of situations might the failure of a marriage be okay?
5. What do you consider to be the reason(s) so many marriages fail?
WEEKLY REFLECTION
While it may be true that God hates, or severely dislikes, divorce, it must also be
acknowledged that God continues to love and care for those people who have
been divorced. Those who never have had to face the pain of a marriage breakup, should tread carefully and avoid making simplistic judgments regarding the
parties involved.
6. Why do you think some Christians are harder on the issue of divorce than
they are on other moral issues? What experience have you had/seen of this?
7. In your opinion, what is the most helpful thing Christians can say or do to
help marriages in our society last and flourish?
8. What is the “work of Jesus” mentioned this weekend? How does it bring
hope?
Surrender – Follow – Listen – Do (2 Corinthians 5:21, John 8:36, Luke 19:10)
The Gospel – the Good News of Jesus – is that we are forgiven by God.
Because we are forgiven, through the Spirit of God we have been given the
power to forgive.
No forgiveness, no freedom. In forgiveness, there is freedom.
Freedom to love and be loved.