Putting Sin to Death - Part 1

As Christians, our battle against sin can’t be won through legalism, a sudden religious experience, or even behavior modification. But rather, by faith we must know and apply God’s Word and give deliberate effort to put off our sin and to put on Christlike virtues. As the Puritan John Owen famously said, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”

As we conclude our study, we have to ask: What are the practical takeaways for you and me? In other words, how are we as followers of Christ supposed to respond to what we’ve learned from the Sermon on the Mount and the rest of Scripture? Pastor Tom helps us see from the Bible that we can fully trust God and His Word.

Are there any circumstances in which divorce and remarriage are biblically permitted? Jesus makes clear that marriage is intended to be a lifelong covenant and that unbiblical divorce and remarriage violate the Seventh Commandment. Yet Scripture also identifies specific exceptions. Pastor Tom helps us explore the Bible to understand the specific exceptions to equip and encourage us to view marriage as God views marriage.

All of Scripture teaches us that marriage is designed by God to be a lifelong commitment, joined together by God, that ultimately reflects the love between Christ and His church. Because marriage is a covenant made before a holy God, unbiblical divorce and remarriage aren't just legal or cultural missteps—they are serious violations of God’s Word.

What do you believe is God’s true design for marriage? The fact is, we live in a culture that increasingly treats marriage as a temporary contract—something you can just throw away whenever it stops bringing personal happiness. But in the Gospels, Jesus takes us straight back to creation in Genesis 2, reminding us that marriage is established and upheld by God Himself as a lifelong union between one man and one woman.

As we build on what we learned last time, we need to take a step back into Deuteronomy chapter 24 to understand what the Old Testament actually says about this subject. Far from presenting divorce as God’s ideal or giving people a broad permission slip to end their vows, Deuteronomy 24 was written to address a specific circumstance and to set strict limits.

Today we discover from Matthew 5 that our Lord Jesus taught the permanence, importance, and beauty and blessing of marriage. As Christians, we must hold the same view of marriage as Jesus Himself did.

The book of Ecclesiastes challenges us to see life from God's perspective, recognizing both the goodness of God's gifts and the frustrations and limitations of living in a fallen world (Gen. 3).

Rather than becoming cynical or trying to understand everything, we are called to trust God's sovereignty, enjoy His blessings with gratitude, and find our ultimate fulfillment in fearing Him

Christians must heavily rely upon the grace of God as we look to use our giftedness in the local church.