Sermon outline
Jesus the king of grace and truth
Upholding God’s good gift of marriage (Mark 10:1-12)
A threatening situation (v. 1-2)
Command Vs permission (v. 3-4)
Softening hard hearts: pursuing God’s good design (v. 5-9)
Softening hard hearts: confronting sin (v. 10-12)
Marriage, divorce, and remarriage across the Bible’s teaching
1. ’Outside the garden’ all marriages are marred by sin and will involve a normal rhythm of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
2. While never letting go of God’s good design, and his general prohibition of divorce, the Bible teaches that in our fallen world circumstances can arise in which divorce is permitted by God.
– Sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9)
– Abandonment (1 Corinthians 7:12-16)
– Others?
3. Divorce in these circumstances is not commanded, and where there is genuine repentance, forgiveness and restoration is the ideal; but it is, permitted by God.
4. Divorce ends a marriage; therefore a divorced person is, in principle, free to marry another.
5. This provision can be abused, and marriages can be ended which should not be. This is tragic.
6. However, where someone, tragically and regrettably, has legitimate ‘grounds’ for divorce, they do not sin in making use of that provision, nor in remarrying.
7. Human marriages are signs pointing towards the beautiful gospel of Jesus, the ‘marriage’ of the King with his bride, the church.
8. Marriage is a good gift, but a terrible idol. While marriage shows the shape of the gospel, singleness shows the sufficiency of the gospel.
9. In Christ, there is overflowing healing, peace, forgiveness, the power to
repent, and the eternal satisfaction of every good desire.