The New Marriage

The writing is: Frank Henry really do not always get this over with what's good out there know it's gotta be right you to Richard or it's Robert apostle Peter said there is no wonder, given among men whereby you must be saved. It is that name, verse 10 of the chapter and that name is Jesus Christ. You gotta get that name right I Jesus Christ know I will become the right of this one and this will today we begin a three-part series from Romans seven: beauty of the bride are Bible teacher Stephen Devi will unveil one of the most beautiful and dramatic truths found at the heart of the gospel of all the descriptions God gives us in Scripture regarding the state of our relationship with him. There is none so compelling and so convicting as this one. We are the bride of Christ, and we belong to him forever. Keep listening as Stephen explains the ramifications of this truth, both for our future and more practically, for our present Paul being the master teacher that he was begins these Switch we have catalogued is chapter 7 by delivering a principal. And then an illustration and finally an application we could call his opening statement in Romans chapter 7 verse one.

The principle of law and limitation. If you have your Bibles open. Let's follow along as I read or do you not know, brethren, for I am speaking to those who know the law that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives now.

Some believe that Paul would be referring to the Torah, the Jewish law. Thus only to the Jewish believers. However, the phrase in the Greek New Testament lacks the definite article, it simply refers to law in general. He could, literally translated, do you not know, brethren, for I'm speaking to people who know law and that would refer to anybody anybody old enough to understand law, both natural and prescribed Paula speaking about law in general. He assumes that every Roman, every Greek, every Jew, every Gentile would have an intuitive understanding of this law in general.

Paul is asking then a rhetorical question. You do know, don't you about law and you do know don't you that law has jurisdiction only over those who are alive in other words, you do not take corpses to court you do not find people for their parking tickets if they are deceased, you do not bring someone before a judge and jury. If they have died. The laws jurisdiction against that individual has been broken by their death. Think of Lee Harvey Oswald, the one accused of assassinating Pres. John F. Kennedy was never brought to trial because shortly before his trial, he himself was assassinated murdered before his trial begin and that ended the inquiry, at least as far as Lee Harvey Oswald was concerned why because he was dead. The limitation of the law is that it can only enforce it can only monitor it can only denounce it can only instruct and convict and sentence and condemn those who are alive the jurisdiction of law its influence its sway its power, its verdict is against those who are living and Paul knows he assumes that everybody anywhere in the world as he begins to teach these new principles understands that intuitively, then he gives the illustration of marriage and confidently diverse to says the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law concerning her husband have all of the illustrations he could have used to prove the delimitation of law. I would not have expected him to use this illustration I find it absolutely fascinating. The Paul under the directive of the Holy Spirit chooses this illustration. The married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living, but of her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.

Here's what's so amazing to me about the principal in this following illustration. Paul is still speaking rhetorically, he is speaking with the assumption that his audience agrees with the biblical teaching of the permanence of marriage. In fact, here's a startling point.

He is also assuming that those who are ignorant of what the Bible teaches still understand the natural law that a marriage covenant is an issue or series of valves that are intended to be For life and he assumes everybody, even those who don't have the Bible know that that's the truth. You do know, don't you, the law loses its jurisdiction over those who died in will be illustrated by telling you what you know, don't you, that a woman is bound to her husband as long as the husband is alive. Paul is already declared natural law that those without the word of God still can come to terms with certain truths of God. Romans chapter 1 dealt with that.

We call that natural law law understood intuitively even in the life of someone who doesn't have the 10 Commandments. Someone is never picked up a Bible, natural law, or that intuitive laws that which Paul declared in Romans chapter 1 where he says the unbeliever sees creation and intuitively knows that there is creator, but they suppress that and they rewrite that and they mock that and they abandon that, but it is natural law.

It is truth and they know it because God is encoded on their heart.

CS Lewis wrote that natural law is revealed in the way people talk to one another. People know the Lord but also people don't know the Lord. Just listen to the way they talk to one another. He says it reveals natural law that they have right and wrong buried in their heart because on illustrated someone will say that's my seat. I was there first.

Nobody said that this morning. Good. Leave him alone isn't doing any harm.

Why should you cut in line 1st. Give me a bit of your orange. I gave you a bit of mine, now you promised. Lewis stated that people understood standards of conduct simply because they had the law encoded on their part. I do know that you were there a couple of programs I watch on television. One of his candid camera. Great illustration of the tension between natural law and human nature. You mean I get that out of it, but I do. I just love watching that tension somebody does something that someone else knows intuitively is wrong. They just don't quite know how to respond love watching one clip or one guy came into the restaurant and pulled up to a counter settlement stool next to somebody and immediately he was part of the crew. He took the tip that the person before and would like to put in his pocket and the guy next to him just looked around. He knew what it was nothing saying was no notarized statement saying by that person at that belong to the waitress and not the him but he knew that wasn't his property. A loved one where a guy came in to a restaurant set in a counter bar stool there next to somebody and therefore can begin to eat food out of that person's plate next to just sampling it in. The waitress came and said would you like to order none. I like this food just as great was really good stuff you enjoyed person just sitting there not knowing what to do. I read some time ago, but a woman who bought a bag of cookies at the airport while she waited in the terminal for her flight.

The terminal became crowded. She bought a bag of cookies and and a magazine man sat next to her. Although there was an empty seat between them and the woman is reading a magazine and at one point she reached out and she took one of her cookies and she ate it and and that man reached governing took a cooking he put it in his mouth. She looked at him glared at him and he just smiled at her, not that we offer sometime she didn't know what to do. She eventually was reading a magazine, lost in thought and she just reached out again and pick up a cooking he did to. He picked up a cookie and put it in his mouth and smiled at her, nodded, and that so infuriated her, but she took the last cookie stuffed it in her mouth got up and went as they were to board the plane and she got to her seat fuming with anger buckled himself and opened her purse up to discover her package of cookies know what had made her so angry and what had made him so nice.

What she thought from her perspective that he was a thief. He violated her rights he was taking property to belong to her and she was rightfully angry. He on the other hand was exercising kindness and patience toward a woman who evidently lost her mocking, nodding both exercise liens to natural law and that is a gift from God and brings about civility and ordering it stamps upon our hearts that which we know is right and that which we know is wrong, that which is a violation and that which is rights in the book of Romans, Paul never condemns the unbeliever for not knowing the law condemns them for knowing it intuitively and saying were not believe we came from something other than a creator. Now Paul is assuming that everybody anywhere in the world understands the natural principle of law that marriage is a binding covenant.

You make a series of promises and you keep them for life.

Whether you're a believer and unbeliever. Paul understands that everyone will have that embedded in their heart somebody might say will look. Paul lived in a different era. Poland is in the village at one very sophisticated, the metropolis is vastly different from that things are different. While you have to do is be a student of history, even a slight student will discover the truth is far different Jewish society during the days of Paul was awash with broken valve women were for the most part unprotected beasts of burden. They were easily discarded rabbis of Paul's. They had taken Moses his declaration that allowed for divorce on the grounds of adultery. The Paul will clarify first Corinthians 7 that abandonment and adultery can break permanently.

The wedding without but they'd taken that they had made hate with that. So when Moses said that Amanda Mary's wife takes a wife to himself discovers in her uncleanness he can put her away that uncleanness by conservative commentaries and even the study of the word analogically knows it's adultery and sexual but they'd taken over uncleanness and made it anything they wanted.

One rabbi taught that uncleanness could be anything displeasing to her husband, Rabbi Hillel, the famous rabbi taught the wife was even unclean, considered to be so if she spoiled her husband's dinner or put too much salt in it, talking with men on the street saying something against her mother-in-law. Those were unclean things he could put her away. Another famous rabbi Akiba even insisted that of a man found a woman who was prettier than his wife.

The latter became unclean in his eyes he could divorce her. Send her out and married the prettier one. When Paul wrote, I know you know that that is in right. He assumed everybody knew it even though the Jewish community was living vastly different in their morals and standards.

The pagan Greek world was not a better effect was more corrupt prostitution and homosexuality, lesbianism, pedophilia are all accepted and they were acceptable to that society of the Greek world. Most of the emperors were bisexual, even in Greek society. Paul's a heterosexuality was considered prudish for the weak minded wives were simply taken the bare legitimate heirs to the family name in Fortune, Demosthenes and orator from Athens wrote these words, we have prostitutes for pleasure.

We have concubines for daily cohabitation and we take wives to bare legitimate children and guard the household affairs.

So when Paul wrote this.

Assuming the it even though they live vastly differently than this. He said I know you know it's true what you're doing is wrong. You going to the Roman world itself in marriage was just as corrupted there. Jerome and ancient writer tells of one Roman woman who married her 23rd husband and she was his 21st wife. I said that in Roman days during the days of Paul women dated there years of their calendar by the names of their husbands marriage in Roman times was one of her said nothing more than serial adultery or legalized prostitution.

One Roman writer named juvenile wrote that women had vacated their homes and slid from one marriage to another wearing out their bridal veil. So when Paul wrote, I know you know it's true that Amanda will belong to one another for life that was radical news to his world. It was as radical Athens in the first century as it is today in America in a 21st-century still revolutionary, but he assumed they knew and he assumes we know this what we call self evident truth is that a covenant of marriage lasts for life isn't attempting to deal with other issues as he will deal later in the epistles as those exceptions, but he goes on to add another self-evident truth, but in the next verse, verse three, then let's add to that, if while her husband is living she's going to another, and she shall be called an adulterous but of her husband dies, he is freed from the law so that she is not an adulterous though she is joined to another man to Paul's point in this passage is not necessarily to declare the parameters in the guidelines for marriage, divorce and remarriage is simply saying that apart from what we know to be those exceptions to the marriage covenant brought about by sinful man.

God intends marriage to be for life, till death do us part is not just a nice idea. We created somebody came up with what we know to throw that in there that's God's idea, that's God's design that is his ideal and that is stamped on the heart of anybody anywhere at any time in the world of you noticed how unbeliever Street. The valve similarly to the believer. I've never met and I've seen number of weddings I've been to weddings between unbelievers. I've never seen a fellow come to that part till death do us part is that that's just for Christians, you knowingly that part I never seen an unbeliever is a bride so you know when it comes time to hear him give his vows, you know, we can get to that part of the till death do us part.

And really that matter feelings and after 20 or for somebody younger, not I just all get the best can item for these 20 years. We want save know we said what were to come up with the idea is the natural law of God coded in their hearts. He assumed everybody understood it, they might deny it, they might refute it, but they know intuitively that marriage covenants are set aside after death. So let me just for the sake of this paragraph. Let me review the principle is this law has jurisdiction upon only those who are alive.

The principal, the illustration the covenant of marriage is binding and active only as the spouse is alive in the application. We are bound to the wall as long as we are alive and that's where he is really driving and that's the real problem we get a real problem, ladies and gentlemen, we are bound, married to the law as long as we are alive. There is no because the law is inanimate it cannot die. That means it's going to go on and on and on, will never be released something someone somebody asked to die to release us from that bond so we can be free in his analogy to remarry.

Somebody has. That's the solution in verse four and his application. Look, there therefore my brother and you also were made to die to the wall through the body of Christ that you might be joined or married to another. To him who was raised from the dead. This is a wonderful point.

The law doesn't die. You do in Christ you died in the mind of God.

When you came to the son of God by faith.

You died in him, thus breaking the bond breaking the jurisdiction.

This takes us back to chapter 6 where we read that God views us by faith in Christ to have died in him to have been buried in him and to have been raised in new life in him we die than the covenant union to law is broken the law with its holy requirements that we can never keep the law, which stands as a barrier. Large doors closing our entry and hoping that heaven there's no way around that we can't go through it, but by faith in Christ, we die. Now we been born again. We are new creations and we are in his analogy here able to remarry. Another who is this other one he says in the last part of verse 41, who was raised from the dead. We belong to another man now the God man, Jesus Christ. For those who come to Christ by faith. They have become the bride of Christ, and he has become their bridegroom.

No other attachments. No other binding unions, no valves. We are broken. Why because we died.

The jurisdiction of the law is completely done away that great. So now we can offer ourselves to him having had that union with the law dissolved by means of our death in Christ. I just think this wonderful truth. You know when the spirit of God came to your heart and your life, and whispered as it were, into your ear.

He presided over this mysterious union with Christ. He presided over this death and burial, and resurrection, and this new creation. He presided over this marriage that was arranged by the father before you were even born when he came to you, in effect, and he said will you take this one to be your lawfully wedded husband and you said I do, for richer or for poorer, yes, that in sickness and in health to till death do you part of that's the good part. We have already died. We will never spiritually die ever.

Thus, our union with him can never be broken apart and the Spirit says amen to you who have become the bride, you can now take his name is yours.

Christ Christian.

His name is yours ever been to a wedding remarriage been the least one to me because so that was enough been the one you know names matter. Weddings notice that you get a get a right, I performed a wedding. Just this last weekend and I had to get a right do you, Michael. Take Jessica to be your lawfully wedded wife, do you Jessica take Michael to be your lawfully wedded husband. You have to be right that those moments years ago when I had most of the burdens of pastoral ministry. Without this wonderful staff of men along. I did most of the weddings and I had one wedding one weekend and in the fella's name was the groom's name was Richard in the next week and I married another couple in his name is Robert. And guess what happened.

Try to get all mixed up came to the valve part and I said do you take Richard to be your lawfully wedded husband, Robert, was standing there, everybody, France, I knew I done something wrong and then everybody erupted in laughter. Basically, in my embarrassment and my red face that get a right you know the bride and Gonzalo Frank Henry really that matter was, get this over with.

Let's get out there know it's gotta be right if you Richard or its Robert you get the name right. The apostle Peter said there is no other name under have been given among men whereby you must be saved.

It is that name, verse 10 of that chapter and that name is Jesus Christ. You gotta get that name right I say Jesus Christ to be my husband. No no I will become the bride of this one and this one only when you said yes to him. He gave you his name, but then he wrote your name on the marriage certificate, otherwise known as the Lamb's book of life for those of you who trusted this one there's a marriage feast between the church and Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19 tells us that the inauguration of this kingdom will begin with this feast where in this great ceremony there will be the wedding ceremony and the great feasting that will occur between the church which is called the bride and her bridegroom who is called Jesus Christ's. It's interesting to me that the marriage supper here is referred to as the marriage supper of who the Lamb. I find it interesting. Why not the marriage supper of the king or the marriage supper of creator God. When the marriage supper of the Lord of lords, notes, call the marriage supper of the Lamb.

You see, that is the name that signifies this is the one who died to dissolve the union between us and law, and we in him and his sacrifice died. Therefore, the Lamb is able to take a bride we the bride can be taken by so I got news for you Christian friend. There's a wedding ceremony coming in here and it can you see the pictures where you stand next to the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ thing.

Now I can't even imagine that I would imagine in others as long the line you know and I'm 20 million people away from the cake and punch and I'll never make it there on the high God's gonna reorder this whole thing but I do know that that ceremonies tensely personal. You will be next to the Lamb you are is bride. He knows your name and he has given you his remember.

For those of you who were married may be coming up to it. In fact, I was talking to the bridegroom and the back just before coming out this past weekend.

How strange it sounds to to say she is my wife. I am her husband. Stranger still to say I belong to her. She belongs to me. I remember on my wedding things to remember the was an awesome thought this woman belongs to me. Paul has declared the principal. The illustration of the application we've been released from the jurisdiction of our former spouse by death.

In Christ, and we've been joined to another to him was raised from the dead. Ladies and gentlemen, if you come by faith and you happen to be married to the only perfect husband alive is the only one. We also belong to him and he longs to us.

He belongs to us for this and that.

Amazingly wonderful truth for today. Each of us who are Christians have been united with Christ, we belong to him and he belongs to us forever.

Thanks for joining us today were glad you found wisdom for the heart. The Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey. Today's message is called the new marriage and it comes from the series entitled the beauty of the bride. If you missed a portion of today's broadcast and would like to listen to all of it. It's posted to our website wisdom online.org. You might want to send this message to a friend or family member who would benefit from hearing it you can do that as well.

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