What Does God Say About _______? Week 5

October 8, 2023 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Deuteronomy 24:1–2, Matthew 5:31–32, 1 Corinthians 7:8–11, Mark 10:2–9

What does God say about — Divorce? 1 Corinthians 7 8 Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for you to stay single like me.  9 But if you cannot control your body, then you should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire. 10 Now, I have a command for those who are married. Actually, it is not from me; it is what the Lord commanded. A wife should not leave her husband.  11 But if a wife does leave, she should remain single or get back together with her husband. And a husband should not divorce his wife. Mark 10 2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied. 4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” 5 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.  6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” The United States of America has a higher divorce rate than many parts of the world.  64% of men and 52% of women get married again.  67% — Second Marriages  73% — Third Marriages  Couples who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce.  75% — A lack of Commitment  60% — Infidelity  58% — Conflict/Communication 45% — Youthfulness  38% — Finances  Around 70% of divorces are initiated by women.  Couples who have friends that divorce have a 75% increase in the risk of their own marriage ending.  Motherless Children  Fatherless Children  The greatest gift you can give your family and friends is a healthy you. Deuteronomy 24  1 Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes a document of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.  2 When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man. Matthew 5 31 “Remember the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.’  32 Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you’re responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you’re automatically an adulterer yourself. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure.” What makes love last? What is your offense? What is your defense? 

What Does God Say About _______? Week 4

October 1, 2023 • Pastor Micah Pelkey • Ecclesiastes 11:5, Psalm 127:3, Matthew 19:5, Genesis 2:18–22

What does God say about family?  Genesis 2:7 — Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:18 — Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Genesis 2:21-22 — So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. Matthew 19:5 — And God said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And the two people will become one.’ Ecclesiastes 11:5 — As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Jeremiah 1:5 — “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Psalm 139:13 — For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 127:3 — Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  There is no perfect family.  What can I do with my imperfect family?  Love them.  Pray for them.  Point them to God’s perfection. 

What Does God Say About _______? Week 3

September 24, 2023 • Pastor Chris Sonksen • Matthew 18:18–35