Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional as we continue in our Luke, Exploring Who Jesus is series.
Today, from Luke 16:18, we reflect on how radical devotion to Jesus involves listening to Him regarding our human relationships.
‘“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”’ (Luke 16:18)
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1. We are being called to follow Jesus wholeheartedly
How does this fit with what we’ve read in the previous verses of this chapter? Let’s remember what Jesus said regarding those who enter the Kingdom: ‘“…the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.”’ (16b) There, we saw that to become a Christian - to follow Jesus - requires radical (forceful) repentance and faith. Here, in verse 18, Jesus is giving us an example of what it means to listen to Him and follow Him in our lives.
2. Listening to Jesus involves listening to Him on our relationships
In the Kingdom of God, relationships are a massive and important subject (and we can only touch on it here). This world has a variety of views regarding how to conduct relationships and we must be very careful to listen to God. Whether is about singleness, marriage or divorce, we must listen to Jesus and, as we saw in the previous verse, not let the ‘…least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.’ In other words, we must not allow the world, the flesh and the devil to pressure us into obeying its ‘word’ on relationships; rather, we must obey Jesus’ Word on relationships!
Regarding today’s text, Christians are to, like God, ‘hate divorce’ (Malachi 2:16) and do all that they can to avoid it and, better than that, do all that they can to invest in healthy marriages. In response people who taught that divorce was and easy option, Jesus taught:
‘“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”’ (Matthew 19:4-6)
Here we see that Christian marriage is between men and women - one of each! Secondly, marriage is God’s design. Thirdly, there is sexual and spiritual union that’s not to be broken. We are to do all that we can, not to separate what God has joined.
Let’s pray together
“Lord Jesus, help me to honour you in the relationships that I have. Help me to invest in healthy relationships. Forgive me where I’ve failed to listen to your Word and give me wisdom on how to repent and put things right. Amen.”
Community Group Notes
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
On Sunday our message from Luke 16:16-31 was entitled: ‘Entering the Kingdom means that we now obey the King’s Word’ - Becoming a Christian means that we enter God’s Kingdom which means, in turn, that we obey His words of things like marriage and mercy.
Please read Luke Luke 16:16-31 and discuss:
Did God speak to you about any from Sunday’s message that would encourage others?
To ‘forcefully’ enter the Kingdom is to be radically repented - to die to our old life and obey God’s Word! How will this be seen in our lives and do you have examples that you’d like to share?
8:17 - What does Jesus say about the Bible, and what practical examples does He give?
Our approach to marriage (16:18) and mercy (16:19-31) is to be shaped by God’s Word. We won’t discuss this now, but it’s vital to ask ourselves: ‘Am I honouring marriage as I should, and am I being merciful with the resources God has given to me?’ If you need support or advice about your marriage, please do talk to an elder in the church.
SIV - How will our obedience to God’s Word - in marriage and mercy for example - be a light to this world?
SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?
SIV - Spend some time together talking and praying about who and how you are seeking to bring your community to Jesus.
Let’s pray together: Pray for one another out of our study together and for anything else for which people would like prayer.
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