Hebrews 13:4 - Divorce and remarriage

• Definition of terms:
  • Married – relationship between man and woman
  • Bound – relationship between man, woman, and God
  • Divorce – See Matthew 5:31. Divorce is when the marriage is severed.
  • Loosed – When one is freed from a marriage. One may be either loosed by God’s law or civil government or both.
• Galatians 5:22
• Marrying someone who is bound to another is adultery.
• Three things that prevent divorce:
  • Love and respect for God’s law
  • Love and care for the wellbeing of your spouse
  • Doing your part in the marriage – don’t ask if you are being treated right.
• I Corinthians 7:15 – Some argue that a person is left unbound and can remarry in this case, but that’s not what this verse is saying. It’s referring to spousal duties. If the other spouse leaves, those duties cannot be performed.
• Some teach that the alien sinner is not amenable to God’s marriage law. WE don’t see such a distinction anywhere in the Bible. God’s marriage law is for all mankind.
• Some teach that because all sins are forgiven at baptism, one can stay in an adulterous relationship after he is baptized. This is false. We cannot continue in sin just because we are baptized!
• Some teach that if one spouse is loosed, the other is also. This is not what the scripture teaches.
• Matthew 19:9 – Divorce for the cause of adultery is the only way marriage is allowed. Some teach that adultery after the divorce allows the other spouse to remarry, but this does not match what we see in the scriptures.

Hebrews 13:5-6

• Hebrews 13:5-6 – Let us live without covetousness. Putting anything ahead of God is equivalent to adultery with God.

Pride

• Matthew 23:2
• Acts 2:41; 3:7, 26; 4:1-3, 16-17 – The miracle had taken place and could not be denied, but out of pride they tried to stop the spread of the truth. Acts 5:17; 2:37
• Acts 7:54 – Pride makes us look at truth and deny it.
• Maybe something about obeying God hurts our pride.
• Every great question got that way swallowing their pride!

I like things the way they are

• Acts 19:1-10, 19-20, 23-32 – The gospel threatened their way of life! The temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
• Romans 13:13 – These are things we must give up when we turn to Christ.
• I Timothy 5:16

I won’t get past the “almost”

• Acts 26:4-11, 18-20, 26-29 – King Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian.
• Maybe we know the truth but are too laid back about applying it.
• II Peter 3:10
• There won’t be a worse feeling in the universe than not being prepared for the afterlife!

Chara – joy

• Philippians 2:29; James 1:2-4 – Joy is commanded, so clearly it is something that can be developed!
• I Peter 1:3-9; Acts 22:4; 18:2; Hebrews 10:32-36 – Joy Is not the absence of trouble! We can have joy even in persecution and tribulation. Christians have a long term, abiding joy.
• Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:1, 10-11, 18 – Solomon explored everything looking for pleasure and joy, but he did not find it in earthly things.
• Acts 8:38-39; 16:33-34 – People rejoiced when they were baptized.
• Psalms 51:8-14 – There is no joy without God’s salvation.
• Philippians!
  • Joy in salvation
    • Philippians 1:25 – joy in the faith
    • Philippians 2:17-18
    • Philippians 3:1 – rejoice in the Lord
    • Philippians 3:20 – our citizenship is in heaven
    • Philippians 4:4 – rejoice in the Lord
  • Joy in fellowship
    • Philippians 1:3-5 – joy in fellowship
    • Philippians 2:2
    • Philippians 2:28-29
    • Philippians 4:1 – brethren should give us joy
    • Philippians 4:10
  • Joy in helping others be saved
    • Philippians 1:12-13, 18
• Acts 13:52; John 11:35; Philippians 2:27; James 1:2 – Even the most spiritually-minded people will be sad sometimes. Being sad doesn’t necessarily mean you are doing something wrong.

Introduction

• Psalms 139
• This psalm begins and ends with “searching.”

Omniscience, v1-6

• God knows everything about me.
• Genesis 3:8-13 – You can’t hide from God! God already knew what happened with Adam and Eve before he asked them.
• Genesis 4:8-10 – God already knew what Cain had done.
• Psalm 139:3 – God knows all about our ways!

Omnipresence, v7-12

• God is everywhere.
• Jonah 1:1-6, 17; 2:5-6 – Jonah tried to run from God, but God was everywhere, even in the deep.

Omnipotence, v13-16

• God is all powerful. He wove us together. He knew us before we were born.

God’s thoughts, v17-18

• How many thoughts has God had?
• I Kings 4:29-34 – All of this was just a gift from God!
• Psalm 136 – “for His lovingkindness is everlasting”
• God’s thoughts are precious!

God’s enemies, v19-22

• James 4:4
• I John 2:2
• We are at war with sin and Satan.
• Our God will never side with evil.

Search me, v23-24

• David volunteers himself to be searched by God. This took bravery!
• David had plenty of sins in his past, but he knew that God was merciful. We all need God’s grace!

• Hebrews 12:12-3:4
• The purpose of the book of Hebrews was to provide correction and forestay further apostasy.
• Hebrews 12:12-13 – Since the word of God is correcting you, respond! Don’t fall from grace (in this case, leave the New Covenant and return to the Old Covenant) like your brethren!
• Hebrews 12:14-17 – Don’t disregard the New Covenant like Esau disregarded his birthright. Esau found no chance to repent, just as we won’t if we don’t turn back to God before the end.
• Hebrews 12:18-20 – The kingdom they had come to was a heavenly kingdom – one that could not be shaken.
• Hebrews 12:21-24 – Angels here is probably better translated “messengers.” It may not be referring to celestial beings here.
  • Hebrews 12:24 – See Hebrews 10:22. The way they had been sprinkled with blood was by being baptized into Jesus’ death.
• Hebrews 12:25-29 – Our purpose in life is to serve God acceptably, in reverence and awe. But we can look forward to great blessings in God’s kingdom if we do!
• Hebrews 13:1 – Without brotherly love, we cannot see God. See I John 4:7-8; 5:1.
• Hebrews 13:2 – Lot was an example of this. He didn’t know the men he took into his house were angels.
• Hebrews 13:3 – Remember those that are in prison. As they have suffered for truth, you may suffer also.
• Hebrews 13:4 – God created the marriage relationship for man’s benefit.