Topical Sermons - Executable Outlines

God Hates Divorce!
Mark A. Copeland
INTRODUCTION
1. A troubling trend was revealed by a recent survey from The Barna Group...
a. Born again Christians are just as likely to divorce as are non-Christians.
b. Among married born again Christians, 35% have experienced a divorce. That figure is identical
to the outcome among married adults who are not born again: 35%.
c. Barna’s figures show that nearly one-quarter of the married born agains (23%) get divorced
two or more times.
-- cf. The Barna Group (http://www.barna.org)
2. The apparent reason? Evidently many do not believe divorce can be sinful...
a. Although Bible scholars and teachers point out that Jesus taught that divorce was a sin unless
adultery was involved, few Americans buy that notion.
b. Only one out of every seven adults (15%) strongly agreed with the statement “when a couple
gets divorced without one of them having committed adultery, they are committing a sin.”
c. A majority of both Protestants (58%) and Catholics (69%) disagreed that divorce without
adultery involved the commission of sin.
-- ibid.
[A survey like this reveals the need for constant reminder of what God has spoken concerning divorce.
God hates divorce, and the reasons why He has made that clear....]
I. AS REVEALED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
A. IMPLIED BY MOSES...
1. Note carefully Deu 24:1-4
2. Moses forbid the first husband taking his wife back after she had remarried (even if her
second husband died)
3. The reason: despite the bill of divorce from the first husband, marriage to the second
husband had ‘defiled’ her! - Deu 24:4
4. Notice these comments by Keil & Delitzsch..
a. “The second marriage of a woman who had been divorced is designated by
Moses a defilement of the woman...a moral defilement, i.e., blemishing,
desecration of the sexual communion which was sanctified by marriage, in the same
sense in which adultery is called a defilement in Lev 18:20 and Num 5:13,14...”
b. “Thus the second marriage of a divorced woman was placed implicit upon a par with
adultery, and some approach was made towards the teaching of Christ concerning
marriage (Mt 5:32)...”
-- In the words of Moses, we begin to see why God hates divorce: it can lead to
moral defilement akin to adultery!
B. DECLARED THROUGH MALACHI...
1. Note carefully Mal 2:13-16
2. God did not receive the sacrifices of the priests because they had divorced their wives
3. God makes it clear that He hates divorce, and gives the reason why - Mal 2:16
4. God hates divorce because:
Topical Sermons 137