Pastor Blaine preaches out of Matthew 19 as we look at what Jesus teaches about divorce. Matthew 19:1-12 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.” Sermon Notes: Main Idea: Divorce Despises the Good and Gracious Work of God I. Marriage Is Always Meant to Be Permanent II. Divorce Is Sometimes Permissible III. Singleness Is Sometimes Preferable Discussion Questions: 1. Marriage is a gift from God. How can we learn to treasure this gift and honor marriage more? 2. How does my self-centeredness inform my view of marriage and divorce? How would a theology of "cross-bearing" (see Matthew 16) inform my view of marriage and divorce? 3. How does the gospel of Jesus Christ comfort those in hard marriages or those who have been divorced? 4. How does last week's passage on forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35) affect our approach to marriage and divorce? 5. How can we, as individuals and as a church, better support the singles among us?