Remain As You Are (Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage?) - Tim Conway

brethren before we dive into this text I want to remind you of where we're coming from brethren we're in the midst of a series God church and family as we seek to live in families or with some of a singleness in the life of the church we have gone a number of different areas we looked at the the family from Jesus perspective and different emphasis that he's put on and we actually bought a month ago now we dove into Matthew chapter 19 and we looked at really some foundations for marriage brethren the truth is God has a standard for marriage he joins one man he joins one woman he means it to be a lifelong commitment you can google this easy enough in our day 1.2 million in this country alone 1.2 million divorces on average I can I tell you this Jesus words to us from Matthew 19 are almost foreign they sound like a foreign language you don't have to turn there but just listen to them once again have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female 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 so they are no longer two but one flesh what therefore God has joined together let not man separate brethren this is God's will this is God's law of marriage sat down at the creation every divorce is a distortion of this every one of them a distortion of this the standard yes are arguably Jesus may allow divorce and remarriage insert exceptions whether sexual immorality we looked at that nevertheless every divorce this just simply cannot be argued I said this before every divorce is these three things every divorce is a distortion of the standard God gave in the beginning every divorce involves sin and hardness of heart on at least one of the spouses part and every divorce is a separating of what God has joined together no matter if you come to the conclusion that Jesus makes a legitimate exception in the case of sexual immorality whether you agree with that perspective or not those three things are absolutely real they are certain divorce is always that some man or some woman is always separating what God has joined together God hates divorce brethren let us hate it too let us fight for every marriage in this church let divorce never be named among us at all brethren is that not the tone of what Jesus is saying that's it clearly what he's saying but brethren we know what real life looks like right now listen there are some churches out there in this world but basically if your family isn't perfect you just don't really fit in but the truth is real life where we live if we want to really want to reach sinners if we won't really want to be able to minister to people I like I've told some people in some places before look what we get women we sometimes we have helped women that have come into this place and they've had like eight children from six different men maybe they've been married at some point maybe not maybe divorce maybe their life looks like that listen if we basically take this approach that will we have this standard and if you come in here and don't measure up to our standard well then we really don't want anything to do with you brethren churches that are like that are never going to reach a lady like that that that's just simply the reality we live I mean one thing I want this church to do is live where life is real I mean you come here you try to be a part any of you visiting here you end up trying to be a part of this church living here exposed to what we're exposed to and we get hit by real life all the time all the time the reality is on with regards to marriage with regards to divorce with regards to adultery it has been named among some of us at least when we were lost but Jesus says there in Matthew might might be the ideal it might be beautiful it might be God pleasing but the reality is that we live in a time we live in a place where God's standard is habitually now just think about this brethren we live in a time we live in a day we live in an age when God's standard is habitually rejected it is habitually ignored that's that's reality the sin of divorce is rampant 1.2 million each year but now think with me the reality of our present-day situation is this what do you think here's this pool of mankind out here we live in a city two and a half million people here's reality between somewhere between 4 & 5 of every 10 people that get married are going to divorce so here's this pool of sinners out here in this city almost 50% of which are divorced or will be divorced now brethren you think about this with me if God is saving in our day and we believe he is do we not if he in fact is saving in our day and the pool of the people from which he saves his containing 50% of people that have faced divorce or at least 50% of marriages that have ended in divorce would we not expect that if in fact we're spreading this gospel everywhere and we're praying like crazy that God would make it powerful to the converting of souls would we not expect that because the pool from which God is going to save these sinners that are going to respond to the gospel that we're preaching would we not expect that any number of the people that are being brought into the kingdom are going to come in having totally messed this thing up right when we expect that when we expect that we're going to be getting members of this church that if that maybe had ugly divorces and committed all sorts of adultery and God saved them and maybe they've been remarried maybe they're on their second or third their fourth marriage and God saves them and now they come here brethren you see one of the reasons that I called this series God church and family is because I want us to look at this and say how does God look at this and how should we as a church respond listen brethren there are churches that if you don't come in and have the perfect family mom dad the kids going down the line and everything is just perfect and cheesy it's like you're not even you know you don't measure up brethren you know what we're called to build up one another in truth we're called to help one another get to the end and the reality of the situation is if we're going to reach sinners where they are and if people are going to be saved and brought here we need to ask the question what in the world do we do with this how do we respond when the man and woman walk in here and and up suddenly you know it looks like they're meshing it looks like everything's coming together but you start talking to them a little bit deeper and you find and she's on her second marriage he's on a third marriage what do we do I mean that's and oftentimes that's real life but what in the world do we do now what I mean that's really the question that we need to ask now what how do we repair the damage how do we as a church respond to that do we say well Jesus said that that if you divorce your wife and remarry and it was all messed up and it wasn't for the right reasons you're committing adultery so you two are in adultery and and you just we need how do we fix that because brethren is that you know if we think about it adultery is really the driving force behind why we ought to be concerned about this right I mean Jesus said this Luke 16:18 don't turn there but just listen to it everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery and so here they come in God has saved them since they come into this marriage yes when they were lost their marital life and adultery and the whole thing is just a rack but here they are second marriage third marriage look you have a verse like this what do we say how do we fix this better you see how relevant that is for us and how we operate as a church today how we're ministering to one another this this is big this is deep stuff and the the truth is brethren then you get Paul coming wrong saying like in 1st Corinthians 6 he says everyone or rather he says do not be deceived adulterers he lists other things there as well but adulterers will not inherit the kingdom of heaven so we got these people that come in he says adulterers don't inherit the kingdom of heaven you see that's that's what makes this thing really really touchy really you know what are we going to do do we look at these people and say well you're living in adultery you guys need to get out of it or do we say no it's ok you're at but the thing is we don't need human opinion that's the reality we need a word from God on this there's lots of human opinion we get people that well because I you know when somebody may may easily say well they need to separate I mean that's clear it's adultery they shouldn't be living in adultery if they've come to Christ they need to repent of that adultery they need to get out of that relationship and I'll tell you a lot of times the ones that are going to be throwing that the hardest are the ones that aren't in that situation typically people that are in the same situation aren't saying that to the others but you see it doesn't really matter what situation we're in or what situation we're not in what we really need to do is get some grip some feel of Lord ah I mean lord please this is real-life stuff this is hard stuff this is where we live I mean pastoral II this is relevant how do i guide people like this how do you minister to one another well what we don't need is human opinion we need good biblical light on the matter so back to 1st Corinthians chapter 7 because I you know what I'm going to show you a principle from 1st Corinthians chapter 7 that I believe answers this question I think it answers it soundly solidly some some in the end may yet dispute the matter but I believe that this is God's answer for how we deal with this rather than the question we're asking is what do we do if we have unlawful sinful divorces and remarriage and only adultery that goes along with it what do we do if we have that in our past and then the Lord sweeps us into his kingdom and saves us I believe Paul gives us the perfect answer right here in the first 24 verses of this chapter now a couple weeks back we dealt with the first nine verses and so we're just going to lightly cover that in a moment and then we're going to move on to the following verses but yeah folks Paul emphasizes a massively important principle in the Christian life and and it's possible that some of you maybe have never recognized this principle before you met you may not have considered it but look at verse 17 that's why I want to jump to 1st 1st Corinthians 7 17 I want you to see this now listen what I'm going to do is this I'm going to show you this principle because this principle is general it doesn't just apply to marriage it's general it applies to all of our Christian lives once I establish that principle then I'm going to show you how Paul applies that principle to marriage and then I'm going to thirdly show how that principle applies to those who have been divorced and remarried so follow along with me first corinthians 717 only let and I'm reading the ESV only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him and to which God has called him this is my rule in all the churches now let me just say this the ESV probably does not do that verse justice do you see where it says to which God has called them you'll see that if you've got an ESV but if you've got just about any other translation you actually see something more like this as God or as the Lord has called each now there's a difference in the preposition to and the preposition as to is the idea of going from somewhere to somewhere as has the idea of remaining as you are not moving from where you are but staying put where you are now if that doesn't make sense to you yet let's follow the context here verse 18 was anyone at the time of his call what's that mean at the time of your call when you were saved and so he's dealing with the time you were saved if at the time you were saved you were already circumcised and again I told you that says we're not applying this to marriage yet we're applying it generally to the Christian life here's what Paul saying just as a general principle in the Christian life if at the time you were saved you were circumcised well let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised let him not seek circumcision for neither circumcision counts for anything or uncircumcision but keeping the commandments of God each here's here it is brethren get this each one should remain in the condition in which he is called now brethren obviously that doesn't mean that if we have a young man living with his girlfriend and he gets saved he's to remain in that set obviously this does not apply to remaining in any sinful situation obviously it doesn't mean that obviously doesn't mean if you're working at a place that is inappropriate that you continue there obviously it doesn't mean that if you're if you're a Mormon and you're attending the the Church of Latter day Saints and you get saved you stay there that's not it's talking about just basically your social life your social conditions those areas that are not overtly sinful he's saying look there isn't any need to change your situation stay put each one should remain in the condition in which he's called verse 21 were you a slave when called do not be concerned about it but if you can gain your freedom avail yourself of the opportunity for he who was called in the Lord as a slave as a freed man of the Lord like like likewise he would who is free when called as a slave of Christ you're bought with a price do not become slaves of men and here's the principle again so brothers in whatever condition now here he just uses two example circumcision and slavery but he says whatever condition you see the whatever he's taking it beyond circumcision beyond slavery and he's saying basically when it comes to life some of you were saved in college some of you were saved in the military some of you saved in the workplace some of you were saved while living at home some of you weren't living at home some of you were in the all manner of situations and he saying look don't get this idea that simply moving from one situation in another is the path to spirituality it just simply doesn't matter God is able to sanctify whatever situation you find yourself in just a general principle here you guys all see it right it's clear everybody sees it Paul record you know what Paul recognizes that God calls us to his son while we're living in certain circumstances in life all sorts of different ones and he says this oh they so clear verse 20 each one should remain in the condition in which he's called verse 24 so brothers in whatever condition each was called there let him remain with God and back up in first Corinthians 17 if you look at the first part of the verse in some translations it falls out a little bit later but it it basically in the ESV it reads the Lord has assigned or your Bible may say distributed the actual word means divided it's the idea of a portion dividing it's kind of like all these possible circumstances are there and and the Lord divides a piece off to give to you specifically any assigns he saved you right like that right there he saved you in the city you lived in he saved you in the place you lived in he saved you in the in the social circumstances you were saved in and he apportions it to you it's sovereign you guys realize that do you realize I mean sometimes we've been known the fact oh if God would have just saved me before I mess this whole thing up but what we don't realize often times is Jesus as they're saying but read my word I have assigned you exactly that place in life exactly that time in life exactly that situation I saved you right there on purpose I was sovereign over that this is what he's saying to us he assigned it but here's the question we need to ask why is Paul stressing this and where is this coming from no Paul didn't just write in a vacuum right even though he's responding Paul was pastoral he's dealing with something well go back up to verse 1 because that's really where this whole thing started 1st Corinthians 7:1 now concerning the matters about which you wrote it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman now as I said two weeks ago and I'll reiterate here I think Paul I think the ESV has it exactly right you see how they put the second half of the verse in italics or in quotes rather not it not italics in quotes it's in quotes because the assumption is that this is exactly what the Corinthians wrote this is what he's responding to and I think that's right when you when you take that concept and work it all the way through the context here it works perfectly but you see the matter the Corinthians wrote about is this it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman now brethren what you need to understand is this the Corinthians were saying this in the absolute sense they weren't just saying it's good if you're single to remain single and celibate they were saying celibacy is to be sought at all expense no matter what your situation is that's why Paul immediately says no way if you're married you give each other conjugal rights that's why he says if you're married you stay married and if for any reason there is separation you are you do not remit you remain and if you're married to an unbeliever remain you see he's responding to that because they're saying you can imagine why they would say this right well Jesus was single Paul's single that's that life of celibacy is the higher spiritual plane so what it seems like a summit Corinth were saying celibacy whatever situation you're in when you're saved you need to change it so that you get to the place where you're single and celibate even if you have to quit having relations in marriage even if you have to divorce to get there and Paul saying no no no he gives a little bit of a concession and he says look I could wish that people remain as I am but even then if you don't have that gift some have a gift of one kind in some of another and if you don't have it you don't stay there better get married and see that's really what he's responding to that's why he comes along and he says remain remain remain remain because they're saying change change change they're saying it's more spiritual it's more desirable and he is saying don't think that way God is able to sanctify the situation that you get saved in you guys recognize that that's what's going on here so I mean basically that's our general rule now you'll recognize if you look at this Paul is saying this is a principle he's not saying absolutely he's saying look if you're single it's good to remain that he said if you don't want to I mean you can change but just realizes this if you go and get mayor it's not superior and if you stay single it's not superior they're both gifts you don't have to change just like if you're a slave it's not superior to become free don't don't concern yourself with it don't think that changing the situation is necessary spiritually now if you want to get free and you have the opportunity obviously it's ok I mean he's just he's not so absolute but here's the principle the thing he's really wanting to drive home is there isn't a higher spiritual plane by changing your situation that's the real issue so let's now take this principle and apply it to marriage because that's what he does here I want you all see this very clearly the principle remain as you are and if you look there in verse 5 do not deprive one another I'm basically saying this if married remain as you are sexually active don't stop don't deprive one another remain in that place look at verse 8 if you're not yet married he says remain single as I am again not absolute but he's recommending that if you're able if you've got that gift but again the idea remain you see the word there in verse 10 verse 10 and 11 deal with two Christians that are married with each other it says to the married it doesn't mean all married it means Christians that are married you know how I know that because then if you look down in verse 12 and 13 you have to the others he writes and who are the others well they're married believers - but they're just not married to another Christian they're married to who an unbeliever and so on the he basically says in verse 10 and 11 if you're a Christian married to a Christian he says the wife should not separate from husband in other words don't change but remain but if she does she should remain unmarried again there's I think the reason he gives that exception is because probably summit Corinth had already separated they had already pursued this whole idea and this agenda that they were setting forth and he's saying look if you're already there remain or reconcile you don't have any right to marry anybody else in verses 12 and 13 the Christian you're married to a non-christian again he says don't change remain verse 12 he says he should not divorce her verse 13 she should not divorce him in other words remain some in corns were probably saying we need to be like Paul we need to be like Christ single celibate that's the key that's the real key to spirituality well just says stop remain as you are the Lord sovereign we assigned this one to one situation another to another it's no more holy no more spiritual over any other situation in fact if you look right there at verse 14 what's happening the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband can you imagine this if ever there's a situation to say yeah maybe that maybe what they're teaching over there Corinth is right it would be if all of a sudden the Lord saves you and now you're married to a law Fauss it's like didn't he say in chapter 6 my body belongs to the Lord it's a dwelling place it's a member of Christ am I going to join this member of Christ with an unbeliever if ever there was a case where you would say oh yeah we better change that's that's a defiled really that's bad he says no stay he says look what God does God comes in and because you're saved he sanctifies the whole deal he sanctifies the unbelieving spouse he sanctifies the children now that word don't take it too far it just means he sets them apart somehow I mean what he's saying is if you're say in the midst of that in the midst of those unbelievers in the midst of those children in the midst of an unbelieving household suddenly that household is a Christian household because you're there the whole thing is sanctified brethren that is a that is a tremendous truth I mean basically what we find is this that wherever God saves you I mean isn't that the case slave Paul would say them slave your key to spirituality is not freedom your key to spirituality is God's sanctifying you in the situation you are in right now well you all see what you'll see what's happening here I mean brethren how many people how many Christians just they grown to think of themselves but they think to themselves if only the Lord had saved me before I got married or before I married that person before I married is the largest wouldn't have let me get married before I got saved then I kind of say the same spouse but do you hear you've been assigned you've been divided your portion you guys all get that I mean that in certain ways that it that is just tremendously liberating just the Lord is in control he sovereignly assigned your social circumstances are entirely irrelevant to your spirituality feel this brethren in whatever condition each was called there let him remain with God so not only is remaining as we are a general principle for the Christian life it's clearly a principle for our marital status but now the whole point I've been driving towards and what I want you to see is now I'm going to pry apply this principle to divor and remarriage this is very practical for our church so hang on to this see see how I develop this see if my biblical reasoning is not dead on I think it is I want you to follow this brethren would you would you agree that the Lord does assign some people salvation when they're on their second third fourth fifth marriage I mean clearly he assigned salvation to the Samaritan woman at the well after five marriages and when she was involved with a sixth man who was not her husband I mean that's just true god saves people in those situations so now what we really need to come up with is good guiding principles for how we direct people biblically if they come to us in that condition and I would say this if the principle is remain as you are as a general principle for the Christian life and if Paul is saying look remain as you are if you're married to a believer remain if you're married to an unbeliever remain the question we need to ask is when the guy walks through the door and he's on his third marriage and she's on her second marriage here's the question are they married because if they are married Paul says to the married I say don't divorce so that's the question are they married because he's speaking to the married I mean brethren that's that's something we need to come to grips with look I would contend this I would contend that if he is married and his wife is a believer then 1st Corinthians 7 10 through 11 apply directly to him which say to them married I give this charge not i but the lord the wife should not separate from her husband and he goes on to say the husband should not divorce his wife and i would say this if that guy walks through the door and he's saved and his wife isn't i would contend they're married and he's married to an unbeliever and so I would say verses 12 through 14 apply to him to the rest and you know what said there and I would say this I would say they apply precisely because he is married to her in the sight of God now you say well that sounds like opinion to me well I mean let me support that let me support that very plainly first place I want to go is Deuteronomy 24 and I want you to turn there because I want you to see this I'm gonna have to go to two places and I'm going to substantiate that man that woman are actually married in the sight of God I think if we can come to grips with the fact that God does recognize him that way then we recognize that to the married and if God recognizes them to be married then they're to stay put there to remain as they are they're not to divorce whatever adultery was committed in the beginning is no longer recognized God I mean the sin is there the sin is recognized but the blood of Christ has washed it away they're married they're in that situation I'm going to prove this to you now watch this Deuteronomy 24 verse 1 brethren here's what I'm saying even though a second a third marriage should not have been done in the first place nobody's arguing that the fact is that now that it has been done God does recognize it as a real marriage falls into the category of what we would say God has joined together and what man should not separate there's a marriage based on real vows the marriage was consummated by sexual Union the two become one flesh I know I mean I just believe it's it's it's unarguably the case and I know there are those that argue it but but I think I think if we develop this Deuteronomy 24 starting at verse one is pretty plain when a man takes a wife and marries her so you have a man and a wife he's married first marriage it is a marriage God in His Word says it's a marriage it's recognized by God remember Moses is speaking but it's inspired of God God is recognizing they are married if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her and he writes her a certificate of divorce so a divorce takes place what God has joined together man has separated that's a reality that's what's happened here puts it in her hand sends her out of his house she departs out of his house and if she goes and becomes another man's wife it doesn't say apparently becomes a wife in appearance becomes a wife it says she does in fact become another man's wife in other words they are married God recognizes them as married and the later man hates her and writes heuristic certificate of divorce so here's a second divorce and by the way it is divorce it is dividing what God has joined together that's what divorce is and puts it in her hand and sends her out of the house or if the later man dies who took her to be his wife again actually took her to be a wife they're actually married then her former husband notice that God recognizes its former it's not he's not calling that first husband still her husband as though he recognizes it it's binding he's admitting it's the former husband who sent her away he may not take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled for that is an abomination before the Lord you see what God is saying he is saying that first marriage is so absolutely broken it is so absolutely divorced it is so absolutely separated it is so absolutely not a marriage any more that for that woman to even go back and try to reestablish that first marriage is an abomination you guys all see that right that God recognizes that the second place I would have you to turn is John 4 I mean you see there from Deuteronomy that the second marriage was a true legitimate marriage in God's sight even though it the first marriage ended in a divorce a way that we would say is not pleasing to God nevertheless God did recognize the second marriage as a marriage John for the second reason that I believe the Lord holds us to our second marriage or third marriage or whatever marriage we happen to be in when he saves us has to do with Jesus words to the Samaritan woman here at the well John 4 verse 16 jesus said to her go call your husband and come here the woman answered him I have no husband jesus said to her you are right in saying I have no husband for you have had five husbands and the one you now have is not your husband what you have said is true now brethren watch this when Jesus says the one you now have is not your husband he does in fact recognize that all five previous to that one were in fact husbands he doesn't say God only recognizes the first marriage and all of these were just nothing else but total constant adultery totally unrecognized as marriage at all now it's true they may have all ended and restarted in sin they may not have been right in God's estimation but the fact is Jesus does recognize a difference between even the fifth husband and the sixth man who is not her husband Jesus is no way in saying it's right to divorce and remarry five times but the way Jesus speaks here he clearly recognized the five marriages has actually been marriages say came about by sin yes they were adulterous to enter into but once entered into they were valid and if they were valid marriage is recognized by Jesus than by the very definition of marriage these are relationships God joined together each marriage was a relationship Jesus would say should not be separated by men brethren the truth is you I don't think you can argue it from Scripture that God himself and Jesus Christ himself recognized 2nd 3rd 4th 5th marriages as actually being marriages and if indeed God recognizes it as that and the guy walks through the door who's on his third marriage she's on the second God has saved them since all this has happened they're coming in here they're new Christians or even not so new Christians brethren I think the way we look at that is no it's it's not the ideal case yes the whole thing started in sin but I believe that the words of God to them would be remain as you are let them married remain as they are I think to seek to separate them is not seeking to avoid adultery it's rather seeking to separate what God has joined together and it wouldn't be a right way to approach the situation brethren this conclusion remain as you are I believe Paul's exhortation to a couple like that would be brother-sister if they're both Christians remain as you are but now as Christians married make that marriage sigh I mean make it the great business of your life to sanctify that marriage to purify that Maher to make that marriage as radically christ-centered as you can we have a number of marriages in this church that our second marriage is I don't I'm not sure of any third but I know there's a number of second for one or both partners look the truth is we all have to admit it the divine standard if the divine standard had been kept those marriages would never have happened but you know what the fact is they did happen and it pleased the Lord to save that brother or that sister or both of them in that situation and now here they come and my counsel to you is that marriage is a picture of Jesus unbroken commitment to his church now and in fact I would say this if you're on your second or third marriage I mean you are in a place where I would encourage you to strive all the more even in light of the past all the more strive to exalt marriage to sanctify that marriage covenant to honor the lord in your marriage to brethren make your marriage a beautiful and a deep in a holy a loving picture of jesus love for and the church's submission to in this relationship between Christ and the church I really believe that that is exactly what Paul would say to us I think I think it's recognized as marriage I think you can see that I think to argue that God doesn't recognize or that Jesus doesn't recce recognize the second or third fourth or fifth marriage is actually being a marriage is is really to ignore those texts and I would say this if that's where the Lord has assigned you I mean brethren what we can do as a church is not look at people like that and and find fault now look at them and think we're somehow superior listen if everything we're known just because just because you may have committed fornication but actually didn't enter into an illicit marriage before you were saved and then God saved you and then you married for the first time I mean are you saying you're better than that situation or even if you're in the situation where you never slept with a person of the opposite sex before you were married whatsoever at all was your mind absolutely pure are you going to tell me you had never committed fornication or adultery in your mind and if you say well yeah I did are you going to tell me that your life is so much purer so much holier so much listen the fact is there are some of us in this place that if God would have held off saving us we would have likely been on 2nd and third marriages but he saved this young enough where he didn't allow us to fall into that and those of you that that he may have even saved later and you didn't fall into that you ought to be very thankful that God didn't let you fall into it because you could have fallen into it real easy all you would have had to do is take his hand off you and you'd have been just like anybody else brethren one thing we ought to do about this when we see that guy come in third marriage she's on the second marriage without I just rejoice that God saves fornicators and adulterers rather than we ought to jump for joy lay hold on them and just say brothers sister now that you're saved just exalt marriage make it a beautiful thing I mean go out of your way to show before your family lost family your workplace whoever it is that's watching just show them now a picture of Jesus's love for the church and that whole relationship brethren you remember this God sanctifies those situations God can make that marriage more beautiful more precious more meaningful deeper more satisfying than than people that are out there in the world that are lost and they're just there on their first marriage and at least outwardly they did it all right because brethren whatever place we find ourselves in when God saves us he promises to sanctify it and whatever situation you're in if God comes in if you're on your if you're on your third wife second husband and God comes in and sanctifies it brethren it's sanctified I mean isn't that what we need more than anything we don't what what we need more than to be changing our situations we need the grace of God we need the power of God we need the help of God we need his kindness and his smile and that's what he promises that's why Paul so adamant it's not like it's not like God's blessing flows over there but not right here if you're a child of God I mean the truth is God's blessing flows over there if over there is where in Christ is and you're outside of Christ but if you're in Christ wherever you go you're in Christ wherever you go I mean shy of going into sin obviously I've said that before we're not talking that but outside of that wherever you go God is wherever you go he's promised not to forsake you wherever you go you're the apple of his eye wherever you go his blessing surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life brethren is that not the reality of the scriptures that's how brethren with that grace and with that insight that's that's how we need to love one another in this church we need to we need like I said before we need to fight for every marriage we need to hold marriage up high but brethren with all this wreckage and all this garbage that no doubt is going to come in people's past listen if God has forgive them if God if Jesus blood is sanctified that relationship and God acknowledges it as marriage then we need to just help these brothers and sisters to excel to flourish just like all the rest of us like I say none of us are without our sins and just because somebody made wreckage of a certain situation we made wreckage in another one if not that one as well and brethren were all a bunch of sinners saved by grace and the thing is none of us had an edge over everybody else we're all in the same playing field here I mean we basically were held deserving we were we were wicked and corrupt inside and outside and even if by common grace God spared us from some things he didn't spare us from a lot of things there's a lot of sins you and I committed no matter who you are no matter what age you were saved at we all deserve hell we're all on the same place brethren we're all people walking in in grace amen

Channel: Grace Community Church

Views: 28,431

Rating: 4.1247058 out of 5

Keywords: Tim, Conway, marriage, divorce, remarriage, husband, wife, bible, church

Id: LaxtkWk9rV0

Length: 49min 54sec (2994 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 17 2011