Sunday, 30 November 2014
Morning Devotion-His Presence
W.C.
Burns of India wrote, “Oh to have a martyr’s heart, if not a martyr’s
crown.” Popularity and adulation are far more dangerous for the
Christian than persecution. It is easy, when all goes smoothly, to lose
our sense of balance and our perspective. The important thing is to walk
with Christ, to live for Christ, and to have one consuming passion—to
please Him. Then, whatever happens, we know that He has permitted it in
order to teach us some priceless lesson and to perfect us for His
service. He will enrich our circumstances, be they pleasant or
disagreeable, by the fact of His presence with us.
Morning Devotion-His Presence
W.C.
Burns of India wrote, “Oh to have a martyr’s heart, if not a martyr’s
crown.” Popularity and adulation are far more dangerous for the
Christian than persecution. It is easy, when all goes smoothly, to lose
our sense of balance and our perspective. The important thing is to walk
with Christ, to live for Christ, and to have one consuming passion—to
please Him. Then, whatever happens, we know that He has permitted it in
order to teach us some priceless lesson and to perfect us for His
service. He will enrich our circumstances, be they pleasant or
disagreeable, by the fact of His presence with us.
Prayer for the day
Lord, my soul wants to love and know You far more deeply. Forgive the times I have set my eyes on things that keep me from You.Morning Devotion-His Presence
W.C.
Burns of India wrote, “Oh to have a martyr’s heart, if not a martyr’s
crown.” Popularity and adulation are far more dangerous for the
Christian than persecution. It is easy, when all goes smoothly, to lose
our sense of balance and our perspective. The important thing is to walk
with Christ, to live for Christ, and to have one consuming passion—to
please Him. Then, whatever happens, we know that He has permitted it in
order to teach us some priceless lesson and to perfect us for His
service. He will enrich our circumstances, be they pleasant or
disagreeable, by the fact of His presence with us.
Prayer for the day
Lord, my soul wants to love and know You far more deeply. Forgive the times I have set my eyes on things that keep me from You.Friday, 28 November 2014
Morning Devoyion-The Sufficiency of God
Thursday, 27 November 2014
Morning Devotion-Realities of Life
By Billy Graham •
November 27
• Topics: Lifestyle
Thousands
of people have made plans to escape from the realities of life. A new
word has come into common usage the last few years. That word is
“escapism.” The dictionary defines it as “a retreat from reality into an
imaginary world.” The escape of imagination. Solomon spoke of the
unregenerate heart as one which is inclined to excessive fantasy. The
dream world Satan promotes always ends with disillusionment. Thousands
of people live in an unreal dream world, while shirking their
responsibilities toward their families and toward God. The Bible teaches
that with Christ in your heart, you can face the realities of life.
Even though they are hard, the grace of God will give you greater joy
and pleasure than any dream world to which you try to escape.
Prayer for the day
Lord, so often my thoughts make a wasteland of what You are wanting to plant there. This day let every one of them be captive to Your leading.Wednesday, 26 November 2014
This Evening's Meditation by C. H. Spurgeon
"They shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel."—Zechariah 4:10.
MALL things
marked the beginning of the work in the hand of Zerubbabel, but none
might despise it, for the Lord had raised up one who would persevere
until the headstone should be brought forth with shoutings. The plummet
was in good hands. Here is the comfort of every believer in the Lord
Jesus; let the work of grace be ever so small in its beginnings, the plummet is in good hands,
a master builder greater than Solomon has undertaken the raising of the
heavenly temple, and He will not fail nor be discouraged till the
topmost pinnacle shall be raised. If the plummet were in the hand of any
merely human being, we might fear for the building, but the pleasure of
the Lord shall prosper in Jesus' hand. The works did not proceed
irregularly, and without care, for the master's hand carried a good instrument.
Had the walls been hurriedly run up without due superintendence, they
might have been out of the perpendicular; but the plummet was used by
the chosen overseer. Jesus is evermore watching the erection of His
spiritual temple, that it may be built securely and well. We are for
haste, but Jesus is for judgment. He will use the plummet, and that
which is out of line must come down, every stone of it. Hence the
failure of many a flattering work, the overthrow of many a glittering
profession. It is not for us to judge the Lord's church, since Jesus has
a steady hand, and a true eye, and can use the plummet well. Do we not
rejoice to see judgment left to Him?
The plummet was in active use—it
was in the builder's hand; a sure indication that he meant to push on
the work to completion. O Lord Jesus, how would we indeed be glad if we
could see Thee at Thy great work. O Zion, the beautiful, thy walls are
still in ruins! Rise, Thou glorious Builder, and make her desolations to
rejoice at Thy coming.Enjoy Life
By Billy Graham •
November 26
• Topics: Christian Living
Christians
are to enjoy life and enjoy one another. When children see no joy in
their home, no joy in your Christianity, they will not be attracted by
it. When they see you excited about going to a ball game, or watching
television, and then dragging around to do spiritual things, they will
soon get the idea that Christianity does not mean much to you. Your
attitude will rub off. My wife says that the best way to get a child to
eat his food is to see his parents enjoying theirs. Our children will
not be attracted to Christ if we make Him seem dull.
Prayer for the day
May I live so close to You, Jesus, that those around me will see Your joy.Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Whose Son Is He?
By Billy Graham •
November 25
• Topics: Jesus Christ
Ultimately, in one way or another, or at one time or another, we shall be faced with this question: What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? If Jesus Christ is not who He claimed to be, He is a deceiver, or an egomaniac. We must answer this question with both belief and action. We must not only believe something about Jesus, but we must do something about Him. We must accept Him, or reject Him.
Jesus made clear who He was, and why He came into the world. He asked His disciples, “Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” They told Him of a variety of designations on the human level. Then Jesus turned to them and asked, “But whom say ye that I am?” Whereupon Peter replied with his historic affirmation, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-16).
This is the apex of faith. This is the pinnacle of belief. This is where the faith of each must rest if he hopes for salvation. Christ is inescapable! You, too, must decide, “What shall I do with Christ?”
Ultimately, in one way or another, or at one time or another, we shall be faced with this question: What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? If Jesus Christ is not who He claimed to be, He is a deceiver, or an egomaniac. We must answer this question with both belief and action. We must not only believe something about Jesus, but we must do something about Him. We must accept Him, or reject Him.
Jesus made clear who He was, and why He came into the world. He asked His disciples, “Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” They told Him of a variety of designations on the human level. Then Jesus turned to them and asked, “But whom say ye that I am?” Whereupon Peter replied with his historic affirmation, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-16).
This is the apex of faith. This is the pinnacle of belief. This is where the faith of each must rest if he hopes for salvation. Christ is inescapable! You, too, must decide, “What shall I do with Christ?”
Prayer for the day
You are the Christ, Lord Jesus, Son of the living God! In adoration I worship You—my Redeemer.Monday, 24 November 2014
Special Bible Study with Pastor W.F. Kumuyi- FAITH IN GOD’S SPOKEN WORD
Special Study 24/11/2014
FAITH IN GOD’S SPOKEN WORD
Hebrews 11:3
Faith is necessary, essential and
indispensable to life – eternal life, abundant life, happy, healthy and holy
life, fruitful and fulfilled life. Faith – true, vibrant, dynamic, positively
productive faith – must be in the true and living God. Faith in dead gods and
deceptive, impotent men is disappointing and damning. Faith in self is deluding
and destructive. Faith in man-made system and Satan’s falsehood is dangerous
and deadly. God, the true God, the living God, the eternal God, the mighty and
powerful God, the faithful God, the unchanging and infallible God, the loving
and caring God must be the object, foundation and focus of our faith. This is
the only true God, who “framed,”
formed, made, created “the worlds” by His Word. The “things which are seen were not
made of things which do appear.” Man has to use material things,
which already exist to make or manufacture new products. God created all things
out of nothing. He is God of all power, of infinite ability.
God is who He is, whether we know Him or not.
God can do all things; will do what He can do, whether we know it or not. A
father is who he is and can do whatever he can do, whether his child knows it
or not. Knowing what the father can do, who he is and what he is willing to do
gives the child trust, confidence and peace of mind. Knowing who God is, what
His power and authority can accomplish, what He has done and promised to do,
how faithful, loving and caring He is grants His child trust, confidence and
faith. We have full assurance, firm confidence, unshakeable persuasion that our
God will do all He said He will do. Faith permits its possessor to rejoice in firm
assurance while waiting for the accomplishment of the promise given by God.
Knowing who God is, the believer is “fully persuaded that, what He had
promised, He [is] able also to perform” (Romans 4:21).
1. THE
POWER OF GOD’S SPOKEN WORD
Hebrews 11:3; Genesis 1:1-31; Psalms 33:6-11;
148:5,6; Isaiah 42:5; 55:8-11; Jeremiah 32:17,26,27; Ezekiel 12:25,28; Matthew
22:29; Luke 1:34-37; Romans 4:17; Revelation 4:11.
How
mighty and powerful is our God! “The worlds were framed by the word of
God.” The whole universe was created by God out of nothing. The ability
to create belongs to God alone. The vastness of the created universe indicates
that God’s power is infinite, without limits. Consider the vastness of our
universe. If you could somehow put 1-2 million earths inside the sun, you would
still have room left for 4.3 million moons. The sun is 865,000 miles in
diameter and is 93 million miles from the earth. Our next nearest star, Alpha
Centauri, is 5 times larger than our sun. The moon is 211,463 miles away, and
you could walk to it in 27 years. A ray of light travels at 186,000 miles per
second; so a beam of light would reach the moon in only 1½ seconds. If we could
travel at that speed, it would take 2 minutes, 18 seconds to reach Venus, 4½
minutes to reach Mercury, one hour and 11 seconds to reach Saturn, and so on.
To reach Pluto, 2.7 billion miles from Earth, would take nearly 4 hours. Having
got that far, we would still be well inside our own solar system. The North
Star is 400 trillion miles away, but is still nearby in relation even to known
space. Who created all these? It cannot be an accident. Somebody had to make it. Christ affirmed that God is the
Creator. And this great, almighty, omnipotent Creator-God is Father to all who
believe in Christ. Such a mighty God can recreate, refashion, transform and
renew your entire life.
2. THE
POTENTIALS OF CHRIST’S SUPERNATURAL WORD
Hebrews 11:3; 1:1-3; John 1:3; Colossians
1:15-19; 2:9,10; Luke 4:32-36; Matthew 8:5-13; Mark 11:12-14, 20-24; John
5:1-9; 11:39-45; Mark 4:39-41; 9:17-27.
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, was involved in the creation
of “the worlds”. “All things were made by Him; and without
Him was not any thing made that was made”. “For by Him were all
things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by Him, and for Him.” Christ, our Saviour, our
Sanctifier, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Baptizer, our Defender, our Provider,
is powerful and mighty beyond any limit. In fact, the whole creation, the
entire universe is being upheld and sustained by Christ. “His Son, by
whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the
express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power”
(Hebrews 1:2,3). Everything in the universe is sustained right now by Jesus
Christ. By His powerful word or command, He upholds or sustains all things –
rocks, mountains, seas, animals, men, earth, stars, planets, all distant
worlds, the universe – by the word of His power. Christ, with the prevailing
word of His pre-eminent power upholds and sustains all things. Nothing can
resist His Word. Surrendering your whole life to Him, all things will come
under the irresistible power of His Word. Neither sin nor self, Satan nor evil
spirit, sickness nor satanic affliction, disease nor plague, infirmity nor
infertility, curses nor bondage can resist His authority and power. We have
faith in Him because He cannot fail.
3. THE
POSSIBILITIES OF OUR SPOKEN WORD
Hebrews 2:4; Mark 16:19,20; Acts 3:1-10; 9:32-43; 13:6-12;
14:7-10; Matthew 17:20; 21:18-22;
Mark 11:22-24; Luke 17:5,6; 2 Corinthians
4:13; Romans 4:17-21.
“Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
God’s creative words called all things into existence, calling “those
things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). God’s words are
creative words; Christ’s words are miracle-working words. The Lord has bestowed
divine authority and power on His servants and His believing children. The
spoken word of Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, David, Isaiah, Samuel, Jeremiah
and many others in the Old Testament had power (Exodus 14:13,28-31; Joshua
10:12-14; 1 Samuel 12:18; 17:45-47; 1 Kings 17:1,8-16; 2 Kings 7:1,2,16-20;
Isaiah 37:33-38; Jeremiah 28:15-17). The Apostles and New Testament believers
also did great exploits with spoken words of faith, power and authority. To
possess and manifest such authority, let us fully give ourselves to the Lord and
receive the gift of faith. Then, let us learn not to speak our own words. Speak
God’s word. Give voice to God’s supernatural Word. Say what Christ would have
said to the mountain, to the sickness, to the situation. Speak only what the
Holy Spirit says in every situation. The Almighty God will confirm His Word in
the believer’s mouth.
*
* * * * * *
Congregational Song:
PEACE! BE STILL
1. Master,
the tempest is raging!
The
billows are tossing high!
The
sky is o’er-shadowed with blackness,
No
shelter or help is nigh:
“Carest
Thou not that we perish?”
How
canst Thou lie asleep,
When
each moment so madly is threatening
A
grave in the angry deep?
“The
winds and the waves shall obey My will,
Peace,
be still!”
Whether
the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
Or
demons, or men, or whatever it be,
No
water can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies;
They
all shall sweetly obey My will;
Peace
be still! peace, be still!
They
all shall sweetly obey My will:
Peace,
Peace, be still!
2. Master,
with anguish of spirit
I
bow in my grief today;
The
depths of my sad heart are troubled;
O
waken and save, I pray!
Torrents
of sin and of anguish
Sweep
o’er my sinking soul!
And
I perish! I perish, dear Master;
O
hasten, and take control!
3. Master,
the terror is over,
The
elements sweetly rest;
Earth’s
sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
And
heaven’s within my breast.
Linger,
O blessed Redeemer,
Leave
me alone no more;
And
with joy I shall make the blest harbour,
And rest on the blissful shore.
Morning Devotion-Word and Deed
When we step into our sleek automobiles, let us not forget that most of the people in the world cannot afford even a bicycle. In the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in the sixth chapter of Matthew, we read, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Scripture teaches that the good things of this life are the gifts of God, and that He is the donor of all our blessings. Thanksgiving? Yes. Let us get on our knees humbly and thank God for the blessings He has given us, both material and spiritual. They have come from His hands.
Prayer for the day
You bring me such abundance, almighty God. As I think of Thanksgiving Day, may my heart be completely consecrated to Your Son, Jesus Christ, so that through Him my life will show my gratitude to You.Sunday, 23 November 2014
Special-The Power In The Blood Of Jesus
This blood is directly from the sacrifice of the son of God (Jesus) through his death on the cross at calvary.
That was why he concluded that his mission has been accomplished. The power in the blood of Jesus is able to save sinners from sin if only they can acknowledge the fact that God is able to save him or her and sincerely confess their sin(s) to God. He is always ready and willing to forgive and restore sinners and backsliders to the himself.
Many Christians today can testify to the power and the authority in the name of Jesus. The power that resides in his blood has delivered many from adversities and forces that wanted to confront them both physically spiritually and in every sphere of human existence.
No wonder, the word of God assures us that we overcame through the blood of the lamb and through the word of our testimony. Testimony therefore has to do with Christian expression of thanksgiving, praise and adoration of what He has done for us. Anyone who is of the habit of praising God for his provision, protection love mercy faithfulness and the host of others will always bring down the powers and the presence of God to come and rain in such an individual’s life.
In addition, the blood of Jesus is that which sets us free from sorrow and whatever life challenges that might bring to us. Blood is throughout scripture, but what does Christ’s blood mean to us?
The blood of Jesus redeems us from the debt we were suppose to pay. There was a price against us that we could not pay but the blood of Jesus redeemed us. St Peter 1:18-19 says, “for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect”.
His blood brings us into fellowship with God. According to Ephesians 2:13. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ”. Without the blood of Christ, man is a long way from God.
His blood makes peace with man. Man by nature, is at war with God, and we can only come to God on his peace terms the blood atonement. The Bible says in colossans 1:20, “and, having made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself”.
The blood of Jesus also cleanses. Not only does it remove the punishment of sin, it removes the pollution. I don’t care what sin you’ve committed, the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
His blood gives power over the devil. It’s blood that Satan fears. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the lamb… “The devil dosen’t want you to learn about the blood. He hates it!.
Before this planet was ever swung into space, God had determined in his heart that he would send his son to die upon the cross how wonderful it is to trace the scarlet thread of the blood of Christ woven throughout the Bible! How much more wonderful to experience its redemption personally praise God for the blood of his lamb!.
Thus, to further expatriate on the effectiveness and power on the name of Jesus, an Evangelist Frank Viola emphasised things the blood of Jesus does it was drawn from the book entitled. Jesus now unveiling the present day Ministry of Christ.
Here are the things the blood of Jesus does for mankind.
It remits sin (Matthew 26:28) from this frank viola was trying to empasise that Jesus died purposely to save us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness stressing that when the blood of Jesus is pleaded upon a man’s life for his sinful act, he becomes whole and free.
It gives life to those who consume it (John 6:53) many who have had their lives lost in the hands of the devil has or finds it back through their reconciliatory action which involves self acknowledgement of wrong done and readiness as well as sincerity of heart to make a change through deep reflection and confession of surtender to God.
It causes us to dwell in Christ and He in us (John 6:56) the Bible also declares that greater is He that is in thee than he that is no the world meaning that Jesus in the life of man is a big difference as he is always shielded from all forms of arrow shot at him.
It is the means by which Jesus purchased the church (Acts 20:28) Jesus himself made it clear that the Church of God must move forward and that the gate of hell could not and cannot prevail over it.
This is because, God is standing firm for the church and no matter whatever around the enemy might shoot, they will not penetrate because he is the chief security of the church.
It is the means by which Jesus become our atonement through faith (Rom 3:25). In Hebrews chapter II verse 1 the Bible posits that faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. By faith we receive atonement of the blood of Jesus and his sacrificial efforts towards his children.
This was born out of the love of the father. Having seen the distinctive and corrupt ways of men, he taught it wise that instead of destroying them, His son Jesus should died for the redemption of mankind.
The blood of Jesus justifies us and saves us from the wrath that come upon the children of disobedience, the blood of Jesus is still flowing on the cross at calvary only those that goes under the blood will benefit from it (Romans 5:9).
It brings those who were far away from God near to him (Eph 2:13) just like the prodigal son that went to a far country to lavish all that was given to him, the blood of Jesus provides the opportunity for the lost to come back through his redemptive blood as stated in Ephasians chapter 7 verse 1.
It grants us the forgiveness of sins (Col 1:14) the Bible made it very clear that as many as call upon the name of Jesus will be saved.
Through the blood of Jesus, our conscious are cleansed from dead works to some the living God (Heb 9:14) the wish of the devil for mankind to rubbish the plan of God for them therefore he lures them to carryout all forms of evil works such as immorality homosexuality, lesbianism, sodomy, incest, formation and the host of others. But thank God for Jesus who came and granted freedom from the his destructive plan for us.
Furthermore, the blood of Jesus stands as a great factor through which we enter the most holy place with boldness, his word enjoins us to come to the throne of grace that we might obtain mercy and grace to help us in time of need.
The blood of Jesus helps us to overcome the devil resolation told us that we overcome the devil through the blood of Jesus and by the words of our testimony.
Thank God for the “precious” blood of Christ that was used as sacrifice for mankind. The best anyone can do for his/ herself is to surrender to the totality of God’s standards with the totality of our own lives so that he can help us to get to our destination as well as our desired accomplishments.
By PIUS O. ABAH
Saturday, 22 November 2014
Morning Devotion- Thanksgiving With Meaning
By Billy Graham •
November 22
• Topics: Holidays
It
is the custom of many Christians to bow their heads in public places
and give thanks for the food that has been placed before them. I have
had scores of waiters and waitresses tell me that when we bowed our
heads, it was the first time they had ever seen that happen in their
restaurant.
Millions never pause to give a word of thanks to God for the food provided. Few homes have a moment of thanksgiving at the beginning of the meal or at any other time of the day. Even at Thanksgiving time only a minority will pause and give thanks to God.
Thanksgiving is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver. When thanksgiving is filled with true meaning and is not just the formality of a polite “thank you,” it is the recognition of dependence.
Millions never pause to give a word of thanks to God for the food provided. Few homes have a moment of thanksgiving at the beginning of the meal or at any other time of the day. Even at Thanksgiving time only a minority will pause and give thanks to God.
Thanksgiving is recognition of a debt that cannot be paid. We express thanks, whether or not we are able otherwise to reimburse the giver. When thanksgiving is filled with true meaning and is not just the formality of a polite “thank you,” it is the recognition of dependence.
Prayer for the day
Lord Jesus, I know that apart from You I can do nothing of lasting value. Help me to come to the end of self and allow You to control the reins of my life.Friday, 21 November 2014
This Evening's Meditation By C. H. Spurgeon
"Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him."—John 12:2.
E is to be envied.
It was well to be Martha and serve, but better to be Lazarus and
commune. There are times for each purpose, and each is comely in its
season, but none of the trees of the garden yield such clusters as the
vine of fellowship. To sit with Jesus, to hear His words, to mark His
acts, and receive His smiles, was such a favour as must have made
Lazarus as happy as the angels. When it has been our happy lot to feast
with our Beloved in His banqueting-hall, we would not have given half a
sigh for all the kingdoms of the world, if so much breath could have
bought them.He is to be imitated.
It would have been a strange thing if Lazarus had not been at the table
where Jesus was, for he had been dead, and Jesus had raised him. For
the risen one to be absent when the Lord who gave him life was at his
house, would have been ungrateful indeed. We too were once dead, yea,
and like Lazarus stinking in the grave of sin; Jesus raised us, and by
His life we live—can we be content to live at a distance from Him? Do we
omit to remember Him at His table, where He deigns to feast with His
brethren? Oh, this is cruel! It behoves us to repent, and do as He
has bidden us, for His least wish should be law to us. To have lived
without constant intercourse with one of whom the Jews said, "Behold how
He loved him," would have been disgraceful to Lazarus, is it excusable
in us whom Jesus has loved with an everlasting love? To have been cold
to Him who wept over his lifeless corpse, would have argued great
brutishness in Lazarus. What does it argue in us over whom the Saviour
has not only wept, but bled? Come, brethren, who read this portion, let
us return unto our heavenly Bridegroom, and ask for His Spirit that we
may be on terms of closer intimacy with Him, and henceforth sit at the
table with Him.Morning Devotion-The Christian Home: Principles that Govern Christian Marriage
By Bro Gbile Akanni
Prayer:Our Father and our God we bless you, we give you all praise and adoration for bringing us to this point again.
Thank you for bringing your Word to us on the issues of the Christian home. We want to pray for all those who listen to us and as a consequence listen to You that Your Word will mix with faith in their hearts and that Lord you will intervene in their various family situations.
Thank you Father for hearing us, we are trusting that there will be great results because of these teachings to the glory of your Name and to the building-up of your body.
Thank you for hearing us for in the Name of Jesus we have prayed. Amen.
We would like to praise God for this opportunity to come your way again and especially to continue this series on the Christian home.
Last week we looked at why you must bring-in Jesus to your relationship. One of the key things we saw is that the beginning of a marriage does not talk about the end of it. The way people come into family relationship does not predict what they will do four (4) years from the time of the beginning of their marriages: that is why the only invariant, the only invariable person that can supervise your marriage and that can sustain it is the Lord Jesus. He is the only One that is the same yesterday and the same today and the same tomorrow! So when you want your marriage to stand the test of time, bring in Jesus! At the very beginning of it bring in Jesus; at every point of it - bring in Jesus! We learnt from the story of the marriage at Cana of Galilee that Jesus was brought in, Jesus was invited! At the beginning He was invited even though they didn’t see the need of having Jesus at their wedding right from the start. Nevertheless Jesus was invited right at the onset. It wasn’t until their wine was finishing that they called Him in.
I would like to say to you again that as we continue this series: the overall answer to every need and to every trouble in your family is Jesus. You must bring Him in, bring Him to your life and bring Him into your heart and you will see a result.
This week I perceive the Lord will want us to get back and study principles that govern the Christian Marriage: principles that if we know and put to work in our lives there will be results - results that will amaze you. I want us to start looking at these principles from a question that people came to ask the Master as we turn our Bibles to the book of Matthew Chapter Nineteen; let’s read from verses Three to Ten (KJV).
Mat 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Mat 19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
Let’s stop there, may God grant you understanding into His Word as we study today in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Again I just want to use this particular Scripture we have read to illustrate something before we get round to seeing what is God’s purpose for marriage. The first thing I want you to look at was the question the people posed to Jesus. I feel that their question is an eye opener to several of us and I believe that God will want us to delve practically into the matter they raised while we are considering the principle of Christian marriage at the same time.
The Pharisees came tempting Him …and I must ask you to take note of something today: people come to Jesus for several reasons! We saw that these Pharisees came to Jesus tempting Him. I would like you to know that there is no benefit that will accrue to you if you are listening to us and all you want is to catch one word from our mouth - you won’t grow that way. Maybe some of you are very eager and interested in this series of Living Seed broadcasts and are saying to yourself “I hope this man of God will say something that will permit me to go and put away my wife.” If that is why you are listening, I want to tell you that you have missed it already!
Maybe you are a woman and you are listening to us and you are looking for something with which to go and attack your husband, that kind of attitude to the Word of God cannot solve your problem. So again as we study we are trusting God to divide the Word of Truth with us in order that we might see clearly what the purpose of God is concerning the Christian home. We are going to be looking at the Divine standard and the Divine pattern for marriage; it may not fit into your Christian experience and it may contradict your cultural understanding: the issues of the Divine pattern may actually nullify some of the principles you have read in books and messages you have listened to from different marriage counselors and many other sources. Here is one thing you must be sure of - if it is in the word of God, if this is what Jesus is saying, it is final: you cannot improve upon it, neither can you add nor take away from it!
As you listen to us today I want you to consider the authority with which the Master is approaching the issue before us.
They came asking Him - is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Please take note of that question: is it lawful, is it correct, is it proper for a man to put away his wife for every cause? The question looks straight forward and Jesus should have said “Yes” or “No”; and that is what many people are looking for! Many people don’t want to learn the Principles that will make their marriages work! All they want and all they are looking for is a “Yes” or “No” answer. That will not help.
There are some of you listening to me today who are going through a turmoil – you and the man you met and married don’t seem to be going well together; the woman you went in to has become a thorn in your flesh and you are saying “if I knew that you would be like this, I would not have gone into holy wedlock with you at all!” But what is the issue? Maybe you think there is a quick fix here and you say to yourself “let somebody just talk to us and this matter will be finished.” No! You will see as we study the word of God (today) that this hurried and harried way is not the way God handles issues!
The question was so straight “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” And they were waiting for Jesus to say a “Yes” or a “No.” But that is not the way He handles it. I believe that there is a reason why your marriage is not working! This reason is the first thing God wants to show you. May God help you to be patient with us and with the Holy Spirit to be able to catch the issue that God wants to show you as regards your family relationship.
Jesus answered and said to them “have you not read that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female?” The answer Jesus gave touches my mind so much - have you not read? It looks to me as if the answer to the problem in your marriage may come as you go back to the Manufacturer and as you find out what the Designer of marriage said about it and intended for it at the beginning!!
“Have you not read that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female?” I may come back to this Scripture in another edition of this program but I want you to listen at this juncture. “Have you not read?” It looks to me as if the number one solution that all of you must adopt before you get into marriage or after you have got into marriage and for as long as your marriage will last and fulfil the plan of God, whatsoever you are going through, the first solution and the first attitude you must adopt is ”have you not read that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female?”
It’s like you need to go back to the Manufacturers handbook: there is a Manual for Christian home when God started it - you need to go back there! And that handbook is the Word of God. Every marriage will be properly set when the husband decides to go back and ask - what did God say about marriage in the beginning? I believe that when the wife decides to go back on her own to find out what the Handbook and the manual said, the marriage manual that God issued along with marriage; what did He say in the beginning? She would be helped. When you begin to study this, your life will change; when you begin to study and you start to obey what was written concerning this holy institution things will change about your life. Jesus said “have you not read: for this reason shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and the twain shall be one flesh: wherefore they are no more two but one, what therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder.” Now listen. You will notice that when Jesus began to answer that question, He brought a word - at the beginning. It looks to me as if Jesus knew that there is a deviation between the beginning and what is happening now. He looks as if Jesus was acknowledging that what some of us grew up to meet which forms our basis for defining marriage naturally, what some of us came to accept as s tandard for Christian marriage is quite, quite different from what the original pattern was at the beginning!
And so in order to get the correct solution for your own marriage and for your own family, it is necessary to go beyond what you are seeing today; it is necessary to go beyond what is the current popular concept and what people are saying about marriage now! It is necessary for younot to accept the current superficial experience that people are going about with right now. It is necessary for you to go back and find out what was God’s original purpose, His original design and His original instruction concerning marriage. That is where the answer will come from.
As Jesus was talking and referring them to the beginning they asked another very revealing question
Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Again this question is very, very interesting. If we are talking of Moses, is Moses not a man of God? He was! Did Moses not speak according to the will of God? He spoke according to the will of God, all the time and most of the time! Now there seem to be a conflict and I want you to listen; there is a conflict from what it was at the beginning and the situation the questioners found themselves! Look at what Jesus said between verses four and six
Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
That was what was there in the beginning! We are going to return back to the book of beginnings - the Genesis - the genesis of marriage. We will go back there.
The Pharisees quickly raised a question and they said “Ok! that was there in the beginning but is Moses not also a man of God? Did Moses also not give us another solution?” And what was the solution Moses gave to them? They now said “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away if we say what God has joined together let not man put asunder?” To them it seemed as if God was contradicting Himself!
Then Jesus decided to answer them. I would like you to take note of all this, they are necessary for a clear understanding of what we are talking about. The Bible said in verse eight “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered (allowed) you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”
Before I go to verse 9 I want you to note verse eight. The Lord Jesus said “Yes Moses gave you a permission, a command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away for one reason - because of the hardness of your hearts!” Now you will notice that what Moses was responding to when he gave that permission was not the perfect purpose of God, it was not the perfect will of God, Moses was responding to the hardness of their hearts. It looks to me as if marriage was also affected when the hearts of men were affected! It looks to me as if marriage as God conceived it in Genesis Chapter Two was affected when sin came into the life of man. The marriage that some of us have come up to know as marriage is already adulterated and is already affected because of sin.
…Because of the hardness of your hearts!!!
There are new principles, new rules and new regulations that men have evolved to govern marriage because of their prevailing situation, because of insubordination and because of the hardness of men’s hearts. This tells me that behind every trouble in marriage, behind every deviation from God’s original purpose for your marriage there is the issue of the hardness of your heart. Wives! Husbands! It looks to me as if the basic reason why your marriage cannot fit into God’s original design can be traced to this matter of the hardness of your hearts: the hardness of your hearts that make you to insist that it is either things are done my way or there is no way!!
The hardness of your hearts!!
So Jesus says in the beginning, it was not so. Verse 9 of that same Scripture now brings up something else, it looks as if we can just get a good landing on the issues before us today it will be a foundation for matters we shall discuss next week as the Lord permits us.
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you…
What is the meaning of that? It’s like Jesus told them what marriage was in the beginning and He explained the interval of time that Moses came to fill in - the space when sin was reigning, when hardness of heart was the order of the day, when men had not restored back their relationship with God, when men were fallen in their sins. It looks as if there is something again - there is another Manual for marriage but this time for the people who live in sin and for those whose hearts have been taken over by sin. We must consider the following question: must we adopt this new edition though it is a later modification of the original intention of God for marriage in our Christian homes?
Verse 9 addresses this question “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commiteth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” Jesus said here that whatever Moses told you must not be taken out of the context of the hardness of heart of the men of Moses’ time. Therefore put aside whatever Moses said to you in this matter …I say to you!
Look! When Jesus said “I say to you” He is saying: “I AM the authority”
Alleluia!
Jesus was unequivocally saying to them “I have the final say!” When you quote me and anyone stands up to say who told you, say to such a one that it is I Jesus the Son of the Living God!
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you…
Where did Jesus have the authority to talk like that? The Gospel of John Chapter One says “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” And there was nothing that was made that He did not make. Which means the Man that is speaking to us, Jesus, was the Manufacturer!! He was there at the beginning. He has the original design in His hand.
Moses was not there at the beginning! Moses only responded to the pressure of sin, the pressure of insubordination, the pressure of the hardness of hearts. The fact that there was a permissive will and something you can manage as a remedial in the time of Moses does not nullify the original intent of God! That is why Jesus came in verse 9 and said
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
That was something serious! “I say unto you whosoever!” And whosoever means who-so-ever. You may be a Pastor, you may be an Evangelist, you may be a big politician and you have put away your wife Jesus said “I say unto you…” it doesn’t matter which Bible verse you are quoting, it doesn’t matter which law of Moses you are quoting. Jesus said “I say to you!!”
He (Jesus) said in another place “a greater than Moses, a greater than Solomon, a greater than Elijah, a greater than all the Prophets is here and is speaking.”
“I say to you, whosoever!” W-h-o-s-o-e-v-e-r you are.
Madam! have you left your husband’s house and you are going up and down? Jesus said “I say unto you..” However much your own point might be reasonable to you, the Master says whosoever shall put away his wife except it be for fornication… And what do we mean by fornication? Fornication can never take place after a man is married to his wife, the only thing he can commit is adultery. We don’t talk of fornication for married people. It means that if you didn’t put away your wife when you started and you discovered that she had been fornicating you cannot do it now! If you didn’t put away your wife the first day when you met her and she told you that she was not a virgin and she had been living in sin somewhere, you cannot put her away now! There is nothing again that can happen in marriage that would nullify God’s original intention which is and was and remains: “what God has joined together let not man put asunder!”
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
If you read that Bible verse very well it says “commits..” a continuous thing. Not that he committed. The Bible here means that up till today as I am still talking you are still committing adultery because you put away your wife and have married another. You are still committing adultery!
Mat 19:9 …and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Hear what the word of God says “...does commit adultery” The Lord’s position is that you are still in adultery if you have put away your wife and have married another!
Now, the disciples said to Him (and I want you to see what the disciples said to Jesus)
Mat 19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. Though the disciples’ wisdom looks good, it is not correct.
Alleluia!
When the disciples saw what marriage entails they had a rethink! I believe that so many of you have rushed into marriage because you don’t know what marriage actually entails!!!
I see so many young boys who never looked at the implication of marriage before they jumped into it: sex is all they are looking for, they just look for a woman they can quickly sleep with. Once they have sex, they think that is alright!! May I tell you my friend, marriage is not just for sex! Marriage is not just an opportunity for you to release yourself: No! No! No!
Marriage is a commitment. Marriage involves cleaving, and cleaving for life. Marriage is such that when you come together, there is no ground to go back. The disciples said - if it is like that then it is good not to marry; it is good for a man not to marry, that was what they said. We shall return later in the broadcast to see what did the Master say in the beginning, at the outset of marriage concerning this conclusion of the disciples.
When I look at the book of Corinthians Paul also said - concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman (ICor. 7:1 KJV) but when you go to Genesis Chapter Two verse Eighteen (KJV) which I will be introducing now and do hope to speak about some more later in our broadcast as we come again to you in the Name of Jesus. Please turn to that Scripture so that I may introduce the matter before I close this week.
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Can you see a conflict? Can you? It looks to me as if the reason why people say it is not good to marry is because they saw the problems in marriage. But I would like to tell you: the problem in your marriage is not enough basis to conclude that it is not good for you to marry again. No! The fact that you have suffered so much in the hand of your wife, in the hand of your husband is not enough reason to dismiss your marriage! I hear some of you saying “it is good that I am not married, I will not marry again: it is enough and I will pack to my father’s house!” No! That is not God our Father’s verdict. That is not the Manufacturer’s verdict! The Lord’s verdict from the beginning is that it is good for you to be married. The Bible says “it is not good for you to be alone.”
So what are we going to do? That is the next question before us.
But before I sign off what are you going to do? I am still saying something to you: “Bring Jesus into your marriage!” Instead of concluding by yourself, instead of saying “Well if it’s like that I would rather stay unmarried, I would rather run away. If you are saying that, I say to you - that is not the answer! The answer is to bring in Jesus. Ask Jesus - if it is like that how do you want me to run my marriage, what do you expect me to do? How do you want me to go? Lord open my eyes! And He will do something about it. The Lord will help you.
As we pray with you I want you to go on your knees right now. Bring in Jesus, He has the Manufacturers manual. As you begin to operate His manual, your marriage will take shape - it will look like what God wanted it to be in the beginning.
May God bless you in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Thank you for bringing your Word to us on the issues of the Christian home. We want to pray for all those who listen to us and as a consequence listen to You that Your Word will mix with faith in their hearts and that Lord you will intervene in their various family situations.
Thank you Father for hearing us, we are trusting that there will be great results because of these teachings to the glory of your Name and to the building-up of your body.
Thank you for hearing us for in the Name of Jesus we have prayed. Amen.
We would like to praise God for this opportunity to come your way again and especially to continue this series on the Christian home.
Last week we looked at why you must bring-in Jesus to your relationship. One of the key things we saw is that the beginning of a marriage does not talk about the end of it. The way people come into family relationship does not predict what they will do four (4) years from the time of the beginning of their marriages: that is why the only invariant, the only invariable person that can supervise your marriage and that can sustain it is the Lord Jesus. He is the only One that is the same yesterday and the same today and the same tomorrow! So when you want your marriage to stand the test of time, bring in Jesus! At the very beginning of it bring in Jesus; at every point of it - bring in Jesus! We learnt from the story of the marriage at Cana of Galilee that Jesus was brought in, Jesus was invited! At the beginning He was invited even though they didn’t see the need of having Jesus at their wedding right from the start. Nevertheless Jesus was invited right at the onset. It wasn’t until their wine was finishing that they called Him in.
I would like to say to you again that as we continue this series: the overall answer to every need and to every trouble in your family is Jesus. You must bring Him in, bring Him to your life and bring Him into your heart and you will see a result.
This week I perceive the Lord will want us to get back and study principles that govern the Christian Marriage: principles that if we know and put to work in our lives there will be results - results that will amaze you. I want us to start looking at these principles from a question that people came to ask the Master as we turn our Bibles to the book of Matthew Chapter Nineteen; let’s read from verses Three to Ten (KJV).
Mat 19:3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Mat 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Mat 19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.
Let’s stop there, may God grant you understanding into His Word as we study today in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Again I just want to use this particular Scripture we have read to illustrate something before we get round to seeing what is God’s purpose for marriage. The first thing I want you to look at was the question the people posed to Jesus. I feel that their question is an eye opener to several of us and I believe that God will want us to delve practically into the matter they raised while we are considering the principle of Christian marriage at the same time.
The Pharisees came tempting Him …and I must ask you to take note of something today: people come to Jesus for several reasons! We saw that these Pharisees came to Jesus tempting Him. I would like you to know that there is no benefit that will accrue to you if you are listening to us and all you want is to catch one word from our mouth - you won’t grow that way. Maybe some of you are very eager and interested in this series of Living Seed broadcasts and are saying to yourself “I hope this man of God will say something that will permit me to go and put away my wife.” If that is why you are listening, I want to tell you that you have missed it already!
Maybe you are a woman and you are listening to us and you are looking for something with which to go and attack your husband, that kind of attitude to the Word of God cannot solve your problem. So again as we study we are trusting God to divide the Word of Truth with us in order that we might see clearly what the purpose of God is concerning the Christian home. We are going to be looking at the Divine standard and the Divine pattern for marriage; it may not fit into your Christian experience and it may contradict your cultural understanding: the issues of the Divine pattern may actually nullify some of the principles you have read in books and messages you have listened to from different marriage counselors and many other sources. Here is one thing you must be sure of - if it is in the word of God, if this is what Jesus is saying, it is final: you cannot improve upon it, neither can you add nor take away from it!
As you listen to us today I want you to consider the authority with which the Master is approaching the issue before us.
They came asking Him - is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? Please take note of that question: is it lawful, is it correct, is it proper for a man to put away his wife for every cause? The question looks straight forward and Jesus should have said “Yes” or “No”; and that is what many people are looking for! Many people don’t want to learn the Principles that will make their marriages work! All they want and all they are looking for is a “Yes” or “No” answer. That will not help.
There are some of you listening to me today who are going through a turmoil – you and the man you met and married don’t seem to be going well together; the woman you went in to has become a thorn in your flesh and you are saying “if I knew that you would be like this, I would not have gone into holy wedlock with you at all!” But what is the issue? Maybe you think there is a quick fix here and you say to yourself “let somebody just talk to us and this matter will be finished.” No! You will see as we study the word of God (today) that this hurried and harried way is not the way God handles issues!
The question was so straight “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” And they were waiting for Jesus to say a “Yes” or a “No.” But that is not the way He handles it. I believe that there is a reason why your marriage is not working! This reason is the first thing God wants to show you. May God help you to be patient with us and with the Holy Spirit to be able to catch the issue that God wants to show you as regards your family relationship.
Jesus answered and said to them “have you not read that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female?” The answer Jesus gave touches my mind so much - have you not read? It looks to me as if the answer to the problem in your marriage may come as you go back to the Manufacturer and as you find out what the Designer of marriage said about it and intended for it at the beginning!!
“Have you not read that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female?” I may come back to this Scripture in another edition of this program but I want you to listen at this juncture. “Have you not read?” It looks to me as if the number one solution that all of you must adopt before you get into marriage or after you have got into marriage and for as long as your marriage will last and fulfil the plan of God, whatsoever you are going through, the first solution and the first attitude you must adopt is ”have you not read that He that made them at the beginning made them male and female?”
It’s like you need to go back to the Manufacturers handbook: there is a Manual for Christian home when God started it - you need to go back there! And that handbook is the Word of God. Every marriage will be properly set when the husband decides to go back and ask - what did God say about marriage in the beginning? I believe that when the wife decides to go back on her own to find out what the Handbook and the manual said, the marriage manual that God issued along with marriage; what did He say in the beginning? She would be helped. When you begin to study this, your life will change; when you begin to study and you start to obey what was written concerning this holy institution things will change about your life. Jesus said “have you not read: for this reason shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and the twain shall be one flesh: wherefore they are no more two but one, what therefore God has joined together let not man put asunder.” Now listen. You will notice that when Jesus began to answer that question, He brought a word - at the beginning. It looks to me as if Jesus knew that there is a deviation between the beginning and what is happening now. He looks as if Jesus was acknowledging that what some of us grew up to meet which forms our basis for defining marriage naturally, what some of us came to accept as s tandard for Christian marriage is quite, quite different from what the original pattern was at the beginning!
And so in order to get the correct solution for your own marriage and for your own family, it is necessary to go beyond what you are seeing today; it is necessary to go beyond what is the current popular concept and what people are saying about marriage now! It is necessary for younot to accept the current superficial experience that people are going about with right now. It is necessary for you to go back and find out what was God’s original purpose, His original design and His original instruction concerning marriage. That is where the answer will come from.
As Jesus was talking and referring them to the beginning they asked another very revealing question
Mat 19:7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
Again this question is very, very interesting. If we are talking of Moses, is Moses not a man of God? He was! Did Moses not speak according to the will of God? He spoke according to the will of God, all the time and most of the time! Now there seem to be a conflict and I want you to listen; there is a conflict from what it was at the beginning and the situation the questioners found themselves! Look at what Jesus said between verses four and six
Mat 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
Mat 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Mat 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
That was what was there in the beginning! We are going to return back to the book of beginnings - the Genesis - the genesis of marriage. We will go back there.
The Pharisees quickly raised a question and they said “Ok! that was there in the beginning but is Moses not also a man of God? Did Moses also not give us another solution?” And what was the solution Moses gave to them? They now said “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away if we say what God has joined together let not man put asunder?” To them it seemed as if God was contradicting Himself!
Then Jesus decided to answer them. I would like you to take note of all this, they are necessary for a clear understanding of what we are talking about. The Bible said in verse eight “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered (allowed) you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”
Before I go to verse 9 I want you to note verse eight. The Lord Jesus said “Yes Moses gave you a permission, a command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away for one reason - because of the hardness of your hearts!” Now you will notice that what Moses was responding to when he gave that permission was not the perfect purpose of God, it was not the perfect will of God, Moses was responding to the hardness of their hearts. It looks to me as if marriage was also affected when the hearts of men were affected! It looks to me as if marriage as God conceived it in Genesis Chapter Two was affected when sin came into the life of man. The marriage that some of us have come up to know as marriage is already adulterated and is already affected because of sin.
…Because of the hardness of your hearts!!!
There are new principles, new rules and new regulations that men have evolved to govern marriage because of their prevailing situation, because of insubordination and because of the hardness of men’s hearts. This tells me that behind every trouble in marriage, behind every deviation from God’s original purpose for your marriage there is the issue of the hardness of your heart. Wives! Husbands! It looks to me as if the basic reason why your marriage cannot fit into God’s original design can be traced to this matter of the hardness of your hearts: the hardness of your hearts that make you to insist that it is either things are done my way or there is no way!!
The hardness of your hearts!!
So Jesus says in the beginning, it was not so. Verse 9 of that same Scripture now brings up something else, it looks as if we can just get a good landing on the issues before us today it will be a foundation for matters we shall discuss next week as the Lord permits us.
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you…
What is the meaning of that? It’s like Jesus told them what marriage was in the beginning and He explained the interval of time that Moses came to fill in - the space when sin was reigning, when hardness of heart was the order of the day, when men had not restored back their relationship with God, when men were fallen in their sins. It looks as if there is something again - there is another Manual for marriage but this time for the people who live in sin and for those whose hearts have been taken over by sin. We must consider the following question: must we adopt this new edition though it is a later modification of the original intention of God for marriage in our Christian homes?
Verse 9 addresses this question “And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commiteth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” Jesus said here that whatever Moses told you must not be taken out of the context of the hardness of heart of the men of Moses’ time. Therefore put aside whatever Moses said to you in this matter …I say to you!
Look! When Jesus said “I say to you” He is saying: “I AM the authority”
Alleluia!
Jesus was unequivocally saying to them “I have the final say!” When you quote me and anyone stands up to say who told you, say to such a one that it is I Jesus the Son of the Living God!
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you…
Where did Jesus have the authority to talk like that? The Gospel of John Chapter One says “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” And there was nothing that was made that He did not make. Which means the Man that is speaking to us, Jesus, was the Manufacturer!! He was there at the beginning. He has the original design in His hand.
Moses was not there at the beginning! Moses only responded to the pressure of sin, the pressure of insubordination, the pressure of the hardness of hearts. The fact that there was a permissive will and something you can manage as a remedial in the time of Moses does not nullify the original intent of God! That is why Jesus came in verse 9 and said
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
That was something serious! “I say unto you whosoever!” And whosoever means who-so-ever. You may be a Pastor, you may be an Evangelist, you may be a big politician and you have put away your wife Jesus said “I say unto you…” it doesn’t matter which Bible verse you are quoting, it doesn’t matter which law of Moses you are quoting. Jesus said “I say to you!!”
He (Jesus) said in another place “a greater than Moses, a greater than Solomon, a greater than Elijah, a greater than all the Prophets is here and is speaking.”
“I say to you, whosoever!” W-h-o-s-o-e-v-e-r you are.
Madam! have you left your husband’s house and you are going up and down? Jesus said “I say unto you..” However much your own point might be reasonable to you, the Master says whosoever shall put away his wife except it be for fornication… And what do we mean by fornication? Fornication can never take place after a man is married to his wife, the only thing he can commit is adultery. We don’t talk of fornication for married people. It means that if you didn’t put away your wife when you started and you discovered that she had been fornicating you cannot do it now! If you didn’t put away your wife the first day when you met her and she told you that she was not a virgin and she had been living in sin somewhere, you cannot put her away now! There is nothing again that can happen in marriage that would nullify God’s original intention which is and was and remains: “what God has joined together let not man put asunder!”
Mat 19:9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
If you read that Bible verse very well it says “commits..” a continuous thing. Not that he committed. The Bible here means that up till today as I am still talking you are still committing adultery because you put away your wife and have married another. You are still committing adultery!
Mat 19:9 …and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.
Hear what the word of God says “...does commit adultery” The Lord’s position is that you are still in adultery if you have put away your wife and have married another!
Now, the disciples said to Him (and I want you to see what the disciples said to Jesus)
Mat 19:10 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. Though the disciples’ wisdom looks good, it is not correct.
Alleluia!
When the disciples saw what marriage entails they had a rethink! I believe that so many of you have rushed into marriage because you don’t know what marriage actually entails!!!
I see so many young boys who never looked at the implication of marriage before they jumped into it: sex is all they are looking for, they just look for a woman they can quickly sleep with. Once they have sex, they think that is alright!! May I tell you my friend, marriage is not just for sex! Marriage is not just an opportunity for you to release yourself: No! No! No!
Marriage is a commitment. Marriage involves cleaving, and cleaving for life. Marriage is such that when you come together, there is no ground to go back. The disciples said - if it is like that then it is good not to marry; it is good for a man not to marry, that was what they said. We shall return later in the broadcast to see what did the Master say in the beginning, at the outset of marriage concerning this conclusion of the disciples.
When I look at the book of Corinthians Paul also said - concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman (ICor. 7:1 KJV) but when you go to Genesis Chapter Two verse Eighteen (KJV) which I will be introducing now and do hope to speak about some more later in our broadcast as we come again to you in the Name of Jesus. Please turn to that Scripture so that I may introduce the matter before I close this week.
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Can you see a conflict? Can you? It looks to me as if the reason why people say it is not good to marry is because they saw the problems in marriage. But I would like to tell you: the problem in your marriage is not enough basis to conclude that it is not good for you to marry again. No! The fact that you have suffered so much in the hand of your wife, in the hand of your husband is not enough reason to dismiss your marriage! I hear some of you saying “it is good that I am not married, I will not marry again: it is enough and I will pack to my father’s house!” No! That is not God our Father’s verdict. That is not the Manufacturer’s verdict! The Lord’s verdict from the beginning is that it is good for you to be married. The Bible says “it is not good for you to be alone.”
So what are we going to do? That is the next question before us.
But before I sign off what are you going to do? I am still saying something to you: “Bring Jesus into your marriage!” Instead of concluding by yourself, instead of saying “Well if it’s like that I would rather stay unmarried, I would rather run away. If you are saying that, I say to you - that is not the answer! The answer is to bring in Jesus. Ask Jesus - if it is like that how do you want me to run my marriage, what do you expect me to do? How do you want me to go? Lord open my eyes! And He will do something about it. The Lord will help you.
As we pray with you I want you to go on your knees right now. Bring in Jesus, He has the Manufacturers manual. As you begin to operate His manual, your marriage will take shape - it will look like what God wanted it to be in the beginning.
May God bless you in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
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