Week of January 23 2022

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Life Group Study

“Jesus Said”

Study 3 of 7

Week of January 23^rd, 2022

Study by Wayne Arcand

 

This lesson tackles three challenging subjects that impact so much on society and unfortunately have also impacted the church. Adultery, divorce and oaths are subjects that Jesus spoke concisely and clearly on in Matthew. We have all done things that are offensive in the eyes of God. But, I am reminded of some key truths: 1) Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17), 2) Jesus forgives those who come to him seeking forgiveness (1 John 1:9), 3) Jesus commands us to go and sin no more (John 8:11). These three points can give us great comfort and in the power of the Holy Spirit, the believer can overcome, for greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. Remember Philippians 4:13 encourages us by telling us we can do all this through Christ who strengthens us.

 

There is more in these study topics than can be covered in one Life Group meeting. I would encourage you to take the time to complete the study on your own. This study only touches on some points and is by no means exhaustive on each topic. Do not loose sight of the fact that our sins are forgiven, that for the repentant our relationship with God is restored because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Isaiah 43: ^24bBut you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.²⁵ “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

 

Adultery:

1. Leviticus 20:10 (New English Translation) ¹⁰ If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
   1. As you read this verse you can see that there is a shared responsibility for the act (sin), and both the adulterer and the adulteress suffered the consequences.
      1. What does this suggest about the seriousness of the act in God’s eyes?
      2. Why do you think this is viewed as such a serious transgression?

 

2. Matthew 5:27-29(NIV) ²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

This applies to both men and women.

1. What does it mean to look with lust on someone?
2. Why do you think God considers the thought as damaging as the action?
3. What can we do if faced with these thoughts?

 

While forgiveness is ours when we come before the Lord in repentance, the consequences of our sinful actions are not removed. The account of David’s covetousness of Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, is an example of how the thought became an action that resulted in family destroying and heartbreaking consequences. Even though God later described a repentant David as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22), David suffered the consequences of his sin.

3. Read John 8 (NIV):² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

1. What was situation at the beginning of this passage?
2. What is an important principle of verse 7?
3. What can we learn from verse 11 we can apply, not only as it applies in the situation under discussion, but to our life in general?
4. What encouragement can you find from the words of Jesus in this passage?

 

Divorce:

Divorce is never easy regardless of the situation. Marriage is entered into with the hope of a life of love, companionship, mutual support and faithfulness. Divorce is not and never has been God’s plan for his people. If marriage is difficult for many who have professed to follow Jesus, how much more difficult is it for those who have made no commitment to the Lord. The following are some statistics from the Barna Group: “among those who were active in their church, the divorce rate was 27 to 50% lower than for non-churchgoers. Nominal Christians—those who simply call themselves “Christians” but do not actively engage with the faith—are actually 20% more likely than the general population to get divorced.”

 

Matthew 19:3-9(NET)³ Then some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful to divorce a wife for any cause? ⁴ He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, ⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” ⁷ They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” ⁸ Jesus said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, but from the beginning it was not this way. ⁹ Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”

 

4. What is God’s plan for marriage?
   1. Why did Moses permit divorce?
   2. What is the scriptural basis for divorce?

 

This is not to suggest that anyone should remain in an abusive or emotionally harmful relationship. God knows your situation and your heart.

 

Some thoughts from author Gary Thomas:  What are some ways to strengthen a floundering relationship — or even encourage a healthy one? Gary Thomas offers these practical tips:

• Focus on your spouse’s strengths rather than their weaknesses.
• Encourage rather than criticize.
• Pray for your spouse instead of gossiping about them.
• Learn and live what Christ teaches about relating to and loving others.

 

Perhaps when our relationship with our spouse is not what we are hoping for, we might ask ourselves, “how is my relationship with the Lord?”. Am I living a life of obedience to Christ? Am I loving as Christ calls me to love? Do I have an attitude of sacrificial love toward my spouse? If we are in a right relationship with the Lord, we stand a better chance of being in a right relationship with those we love.

 

 

Oaths

Matthew 5(NIV): ³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

 

5. Why might someone feel compelled to swear an oath?
   1. What is the command in these verses?
   2. What does the first half of verse 37 imply when we say a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’?

 

For Reflection:

I will close with this word of encouragement from 1 John 2:1-2 (NIV) ¹My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.