Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:31-21

Matthew 5:31-21, Mark 10:8, Genesis 2:24

My parents got divorced when I was 18. It wasn’t a surprise, and in a lot of ways, it was a long time coming. My dad struggled with addiction, and it ravaged our home life. I always thought that divorce was normal. Honestly, when I meet someone who’s parents are still married I am always surprised. When I was getting married, I really had to think about what would be a “deal breaker” in my head. Something that I wouldn’t be able to move past. Only two things came to mind, one being he had to be an active believer in Christ, someone who I trusted to lead me to look more like Jesus everyday. The second was I couldn’t commit my life to someone who had a history of substance abuse, not because it can’t be healed by the Lord, but because of my own past trauma. 

When we are dating, interested in someone, engaged, etc. it’s important to ask the hard questions and really think about what marriage means. Mark 8 describes it as “two becoming one” pointing to the union not being just a casual decision, but a permanent one. Two becoming one, meaning if you separate one, the other half will never be the same. Marriage is a gift given by God, meant to imitate the love of God and His church. It’s the most intimate and known relationship we can have with another person and it is beloved by God. When we think about marriage, we need to think beyond the white dress and awesome dance party. We need to remember these points:

Marriage is a divinely appointed union. God established marriage and only God has control over it. 

Marriage is a physical union. The two become one so it’s important that the husband and wife are of same mind and heart in the spirit of Christ. Even if the couple disagrees or can’t see eye to eye, they are still married because the union is physical.

Marriage is a permanent union. God’s design was for one man and one woman to spend their life together. They are no longer two, but one flesh. 

We must not be hasty entering into marriage, and as we read this passage in Matthew today, would we ask God to help us view marriage as He does and would our hearts break over the divorce rate in our country. Press into the hard things, if you have been affected by divorce, are in a hard marriage, or struggling to believe in God’s design for marriage, keep seeking His heart and you will find what you need. Our God is the wonderful counselor, the one who knows our deepest hurts and pain, His presence and power can heal wounds of divorce and give us the strength to continue pressing into His design for marriage.