Whatever Happened to Fidelity and Honesty?, Part 2

Hard times are marked by moral compromise standard holding integrity had become optional effect we've grown accustomed to unmarried couples living together, men and women choosing their own gender and important matters like sexual purity, becoming scoffed at, rather than admired today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from Jesus sermon on the Mount in the section of Matthew chapter 5 Jesus delivers a shocking review against moral compromise, adultery and deceit. The consequences of failure. Chuck titled today's message with the question, whatever happened to fidelity and honest. You must pay close attention to what Jesus taught, or you'll fall in line with the general population will start thinking like they think you're start allowing yourself certain liberties like they do you. You'll start fearing what they may say if you're not like them you get past all of that.

I think one of the reasons Jesus waited till he was 30. Aside from God's perfect will for that he was now mature enough to take whatever was thrown. No, Jesus takes it on in verse 27 let's do our best with the time we have with marital fidelity and along with that the subject of divorce and then verbal integrity. The whole issue of honesty in oats.

You've heard that it was said to shall not commit adultery. Every adult in this room knows what that means.

Jesus goes further but I say to you, long before something happens in the bed.

Something is begun to happen in your head in the next verse describes that I say to you everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her is already committed adultery with her in his or her adultery with her in his heart so you got it come to terms with your eyes, your eyes fee. Your mind which builds imagination, especially in sexual sensual areas and you're off and running as loss runs its course and you're only a matter of time before you're in bed with another partner. The next verse, you're right. I make shoes stumble, tear it out and throw it from you that if you lose one of the parts of your body and then your whole body be thrown into hellish existence. Verse 30 your right hand makes you stumble, cut it all thrown away the plucking out of the way is his way of saying start staring at another woman. You will not lust. If you do not steer every man in this room knows exactly what that means everyone of us. You look in the process of staring you undress her in the process of undressing here you imagine yourself with her this. What is getting at here is not kid ourselves about Proverbs 5 listen drink water from your own cistern, fresh water from your own well what that mean enjoy your own partner in life. Your married partner. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets, was that mean that means your intimate with someone who's not your married partner very clear. Let them be yours alone not for strangers with you.

Let your fountain be blessed, rejoice in the wife of your youth as a loving hide in a graceful go, let her breasts satisfy you at all times be exhilarated always with her love and on and on this pretty intimate writing course this beautiful because of the subject of divorce and you know I don't time to track all the possibilities of this happened, or that happened in your life or how did it all I can do is tell you what he said in this passage in their other patches. I'll give you the minute you can study on your own, but look at what he says here, it was said verse 31. Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce is what the rabbis taught said your wife away, send her away. What were the reasons will you're not going to believe how loose and liberal. They were maybe you will, a man can get a divorce. She spoiled his food by adding too much salt or bird is toast. Some of you aground this morning breakfast.

Just kidding. Number two. If you went before the public with her head uncovered divorce is right around she's going if she talked with another man not her husband or spoke disrespectfully to her of her husband's parents divorce.

Get rid of. Here's one that made me raise my eyebrow if she became plain looking and he found another woman more beautiful than his wife. You will always find women more beautiful that your partner so you can always look forward to some other woman or some of the many people about that. Talk about trivial pursuits.

If your trailblazer, your different you refuse to let anything trivial be the basis of breaking the relationship.

So Jesus gets down to brass tacks when he addresses it here.

He deals with one of the reasons there can be a divorce. Please observe. It is not a command is a concession. Please observe. It is not a command. It is a reluctant concession. What is he saying but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife except for the reason of unchastity makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery is called rabbit trails we could get on to be on for the next week.

Let me just say simply that he's addressing the subject of divorce which is introduced in the Scriptures in Deuteronomy 24. Read the first four verses of Deuteronomy 24 is for Moses through God's leading conceited because of the hardness of the people's hearts to allow, but it wasn't as God originally planned.

It got originally planned that there would be one man one woman forever. If a partner was unfaithful. The other partner. Ideally will forgive find a way to deal with it and go on if it's impossible because that adultery continues continues and becomes unbearably persistent than the partner is free to divorce. This is a divine concession. This is not divine command. I always hesitate to use a specific example don't want to identify anyone but another place another time someone you don't even know. I know of couple where the man at a hotel of federal and had a one night quick sex experience with another woman on his wife.

Wife found out about it through a method didn't talk about it didn't deal with it.

Didn't ask what part she might have ended didn't address anything related to where he was coming from was overdone with you will never see the children you will never have anything to do with that's too hard. I know you're tempted to think like that because you're angry and you're confused and you feel betrayed and you have been marries that hangs in there, is able to work through stuff like that unless the partner is habitually unfaithful. That's another subject, I want to give you some passages of Scripture for you to study on your own. You got your pen ready. These are the passages I would study if I were to bring a series on marriage, divorce and remarriage. Genesis 218 to 25. That's called a passenger primary reference first time marriages mentioned in God sets the stage for Genesis 218 to 25 next Deuteronomy 24, 14. That's when divorce comes in the picture. Malachi 216.

The prophet writes clearly as God leads him. I hate divorce.

Malachi 216 and you may to be a victim of. I understand. Remember, Jesus is the one who stood alongside the woman taken in adultery and defended her, not her adultery, but the whole set up was wrong, makes an interesting message. Someday we may do that on John eight but a man of enormous compassion, understanding when you got Matthew 527 to 32 where we are.

Matthew 19, 3 to 9. Be sure you read that with this passage, 19, 329 prescription 71 to 16, Ephesians 522 to 33 first Peter 31 to 7 something is wrong when people know reasons for divorce better than they know how to cultivate a good marriage. Something is out of whack. When you care more about protecting your rights and property when you get married and you do about giving yourself to another person become a good student of marriage or don't marry. Just don't marry understand what you're getting into and what is involved in it. There are always two sides. On the way to set probably good time for me to tell you the hardest work of my life is cultivating and sustaining a healthy and wholesome Mary and I have a great wife but it's hard work is harder than rearing children. It's hard to leading a church is harder than dealing with difficult people marriages every day.

A constant check on selfishness constantly having to deal with the fact that you want this but the other ones that how you give-and-take and that you learn to listen better than you talk how you learn to forgive because you been forgiven and on and on marriage renders responsibility. I taught many a couple out of who come to me early on and asked him a few leading questions and they're not ready to answer and say to you ready to go there. I know a couple married in less than a year, there were in a terrible auto accident. She was paralyzed from the neck down to story is at the hospital happened not to have been hurt. She was thrown out that vertebra in the neck terrible. His doctor said to him, look take a little advice I'll cover for you. You walk out that door and don't come back and my friend looked at him and said I got the wrong Dr. many a person with several course to get out of a marriage like this by the way, the Winona had three children wonderfully well adapted to each other.

She lives in a wheelchair. Marvelous Christian people were he realized. Marriage includes for better or for worse when you remember that you be man or woman enough to say I'm the worst that awfully hard presented live me she had been a tough to live with.

I'm just so grateful she can walk out. You know I took gotta live with. I'm hard on myself not to, and therefore to be hard on others can learn to live as a couple with me remarriage when we were eight and 10 believing she was 18. I was 20 I did know my blood from hologram coming up, put it like that wealthy and I gotta tell you, we have grown up together. We have learned together.

We've adapted together we going to hell and back together. We have gone through the misery with kids. We blown heartbreak with with individuals I just won't even get into it and I'm telling you were still together, and is then that shouldn't surprise anybody because this would cut design so will you please mark it down that if you're going to marry. Be ready for the hardest work of your life. And I might add, keep it all fair.

The most rewarding, when I lay down by her night is just about the greatest moment of my day to have her right there and I'm so grateful that I was raised right couple who stuck it out, hit us kids lived modeled on that for you. I really want that for you and I know your situation is enormously challenging will cry me a river. Everybody's is enormously challenging summer unbearable and then you go to deal with it and that calls for extreme measures and gotta take that on. Not dealing with it here. I'm just dealing with what Jesus taught. Now, finally, the matter of oats. What is an oath and oath is a promise, promise.

He said again, you've heard that angels were told.

You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord. What's about promise there were oats that we take that are absolutely appropriate stand. The courtroom swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God. I stand as a possible candidate for president United States and I put my hymn of the Bible. When I voted in and take what's called the oath of office, but I will defend and protect the Constitution of the United States of America and the citizens who live here in this nation. That's my oath, that's my promise not. The turnabout is a part really really mean this or I promises him a stack of Bibles that that's what he's getting at here.

You want to do that.

I've heard people say on my mother's grave really if to say that or Jesus in my heart. Whatever that means means when I say you can really rely on so understand it is in my heart he needs to be in control of you. Not just in your heart. So that's what he's getting at twice is at the end of this passage. Let your yes be yes or no.

No, not refreshing when you're around a person and you asking the question, they say no, no! Not explain or they really do it. Yes seizure we all do that well amassed. If you question you signed up for the long haul and that loan you said you'd pay it back every month. Do you or you linked. You said you be on time you gave your word that you would be faithful to your marriage, regardless when you took your bow at the altar, had you been something simple like you said you would be there at 2 o'clock where you or you keep them waiting, not realizing that one of the greatest acts of selfishness is procrastination show or don't say 2 o'clock and if you're going to be late.

Call it's a matter of keeping your word. This is never more important than between a husband and wife. That's why think the subject.

Follow one another Seymour line going on in the marriage than any other place in my entire experience couple live to each other. Chances are good you've lied to your partner and that creates a gap starts when you're recording and it goes on into Mary stop the line with what he says had puts it beautifully. Nor should you make a note by your head, you can Make one hair white or black. Let your statement be yes yes or no. No new thing on these is the people. Truth is the most powerful thing on the planet we live in it. We have no skeletons remove fears with nothing to be found out.

We sleep well the guy with a clear conscience. No elaborate verbiage needed just tell the truth how do we fulfill these teachings of Jesus. Very simple cubicle first when you marry Mary for all your life, don't marry Mary for all your life hard or don't marry Lester start today. We will try to worry over the mess you've made of your life in the past. That's for you to work out with the Lord. From this moment on to Mary Mary, the rest your life and be sure you understand you not marrying a perfect person. Neither is the one there. Mary qualified for perfection very for all your life. Permanence is a big part of the partnership. Number two.

When you speak. Say what you mean and mean what you say you speak you talk say what you mean the mean what you say not long ago Cynthia and I had the distinct privilege of the being in a home where there is the presence of cancer that's killing the wife. It's now in operable and to be there, is heartbreaking because we love them both and we knew them when she was healthy and now we know them. She's dying. The disease has stolen her beauty reason I speak of beauty as he showed me up before we left through their home and in the hallway are lovely pictures of their wedding. She's gorgeous and they move on in life, and the young woman begins to bear their children beautiful woman aging but beautiful beautiful in every way and then the disease hits, and she's wrinkled and curled up in can hardly look.

He showed me to the.showed us to the door after we had communion in prayer together and is a great moment. I thanked him for being a mommy said no and explain something way back when saw that first picture Mary just before we married. She said to me you promise no matter what you be true to me and if I ever come to the place where I need you to survive and you will be there.

He said I said yes. All I'm doing now is keeping my promise.

That's about it is that's about it.

My heart breaks when I think of another situation where woman who was in our churches now did she got cancer that day her husband left nobody ever saw him since. What's that about how heartbreaking she was never bitter remain generous to the end of her life torn by cancer so folks your trailblazer okay. We got enough of the politically correct number. The people listed in the media know the folks going along with the crowd.

Listen for the heavenly drumbeat comes right out of the Scriptures let that be your guide, you'll never go wrong if you follow the teachings of the Scripture. You will often go wrong if you follow the advice of the crowd even friends will tell you wrong.

Stay with the book Lord we walk through this rather quickly, but not casually care very much about pleasing you, and we know you will love us even when we don't, but how great it is to realize we took your your word and you helped us through. Thank you for a wife that has stayed with me. Thank you for the joy of marriage that's had many challenges.

Thank you for the rewards that come in having her by my side now that we've reached this age. Thank you for the privilege of being able to teach these without a fear of someone shaking the skeleton from the closet and ruin my reputation. Thank you for your help in keeping me pure Lord, I realize that we just centers and the enemy will come after us with both guns blazing, because we've heard this test will begin.

Help us to be true to your truth faithful to your commands and vulnerable with one another in the name of Jesus we pray, everybody said amen the words of Jesus sermon on the Mount are timeless today study is titled whatever happened to fidelity and honesty and this week on Insight for living we're looking at Matthew chapter 5. To learn more about this ministry or these messages, please visit us online@insightworld.org when you're going through a difficult season in your marriage or someone you love suffer the consequences of infidelity or divorce. We believe you'll find this teaching from Jesus. Very helpful. To learn more. We invite you to request Chuck Swindoll's book called simple faith and includes an entire section on today's topic.

In addition, Chuck also explains what it means to keep our walk with God. Very simple, and he writes about the dangers of putting on a show to impress our friends and family with our spiritual virtue. After all Jesus expose the dangers of hypocrisy and he made it very clear that we can easily replace performance-based religion with the far better joy based kingdom living to purchase a copy of simple faith. Call us if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or using your mobile device or computer go directly to Insight.org/store Insight for living ministries is a nonprofit organization made possible not by the purchase of study tools but through the voluntary gifts of grateful friends to help us continue providing these daily programs and all the related resources you can give a donation today by calling us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or give online@insight.or when you give a donation. Your gift is channeled directly into supplying the stated program people here at home and around the world will know the power of simple faith and we have ample evidence thousands of phone calls, notes and emails that your gifts are truly making a difference. Thank you for your generous support Insight for living ministries tomorrow. Wendell presents what he calls shocking advice selfish and strong will be sure to tune in here on Insight for living. The preceding message. Whatever happened to fidelity and honesty was copyrighted in 2015 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles Arsenault. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited