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VALUING MARRIAGE IN A THROW AWAY SOCIETY!Adventures In Missing The Point – Part 3!Message #1290"Pastor Keith Stewart"August 22-23, 2015""Expanded Message Resources!

""""""""""""""""""Ashley Madison ! " "“The divorce rate today - 3.6 divorces per one thousand couples per year - is at its lowest level since 1970.”"- Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, Marriage and Divorce: Changes and Driving Forces" " "And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce... "Jeremiah 3.8 (New American Standard)" " "“Only 34% of divorced people in their survey felt like their churches were supportive. 1 in 10 were even excommunicated or disfellowshipped after their divorce.”"- Christianity Today" " "1. WHAT DOES GOD HAVE TO SAY?! " "“For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel… "Malachi 2.16 (NASB)"

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"""""""""""""""Divorce and Remarriage: Four Christian Views" " "…from the beginning it was not so. " Matthew 19.8" " " "[] Old Testament teaching" "If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free… Exodus 21.10-11" " " "Christ “loves… nourishes and cherishes”"Ephesians 5.28-29" " "If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, and the latter husband dislikes her and writes her a bill of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring guilt upon the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance. Deuteronomy 24.1-4" " "If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? "Jeremiah 3.1"

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The average marital affair only lasts 6 months."- Psychology Today" "1 in 20 affairs were viable after 18 months. And in 4 out of 5 cases, the husband wanted his wife back."- Dr. Barbara Matthews" " " [] New Testament teaching" "Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” “Haven't you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” "Matthew 19.3-9" "• The Background" "• Is the “any cause” divorce interpretation correct?" " "In Deuteronomy, what the text says is divorce is allowed for "a cause of immorality," or more literally, "a thing of nakedness."" " "• A Set Up" "Some Pharisees came to Jesus to test him… " Matthew 19.3" " "Jesus and his disciples are in Herod’s territory – in Perea, east of the Jordan River." " "• The two parts of the marriage covenant" "1. The promise of loyalty."For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife." "2. The promise of intimacy."...and the two shall become one flesh." " " • The heart of the problem."

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It was because you were so hard hearted that Moses allowed for divorce." " "• Divorce is permissible when..." "1. There’s a violation of the promise of intimacy."I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness..." " “Women could be thrown away by a very simple procedure that did not involve a court of law or even a religious organization. Only witnesses were involved, and they could be the husband's witnesses. No legal charges needed to be brought; it was simply a matter of handing the woman a bill of divorcement that said she was divorced for certain reasons, and those could be almost anything, from speaking out of turn to kicking the dog.” "- Richard Foster, Money, Sex and Power" " "“The woman was trapped in the patriarchial world of the first century. And Jesus was opposing this evil practice of throwing women away. He even said that any man who divorces his wife “makes her an adulteress” (Matthew 5:32 NRSV). What he was getting at was that a woman who was thrown out into the street had only one way to make a living. She could not go out and get a job somewhere. She had only one thing to sell, and that is why prostitution was tolerated in first-century culture.”"- Richard Foster, Money, Sex and Power""2. There’s a violation of the promise of loyalty." "But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such a case, the brother or sister is not bound. It is to peace that God has called you. "1 Corinthians 7.15" " "2. HOPE OF FORGIVENESS! " "“Two processes ought never be entered into prematurely: embalming and divorce.”"- Chuck Swindoll" " "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. "1 John 1.9