Main Text: Matthew 19:1–12 (ESV) 1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 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’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” 8 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. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” 10 The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. 12For 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.”

Preaching Point: God’s kids must align their thinking with God’s Word by honoring marriage as a lifelong covenant and confronting the hardheartedness that leads to divorce, while embracing singleness as a valid calling for those who are uniquely gifted for it.

Teaching Points:

1. Focus on Marriage not Divorce (VV. 1-6)
2. Deal with the Hard Heart Surrounding Divorce Talk (VV. 7-9) 
3. Value Singleness as a Valid Biblical Option (VV. 10-12)

Application Questions:

1. Write down one observation or application you found helpful in this week’s sermon. 
2. Read Matthew 19:3-6 What should you take away from Jesus’ tactic to focus on marriage and define it biblically when the Pharisees bring up the topic of “any cause” divorce?
3. What does your commitment toward biblical marriage look like practically in a world that inundates you with the convenience of divorce when marriage gets hard?
4. Read Ezekiel 36:25-27 and Matthew 19:7-9. How can you guard yourself against cultivating a hard heart against your spouse? If you’re not married, how can you guard yourself against cultivating a hard heart against your family? 
5. Why should recognizing that hard hearts are at the bottom of every divorce give genuine hope that as the heart is redeemed so the marriage can be redeemed?
6. Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and 2 Corinthians 11:2-3. What changes in your commitment to the marriage covenant once you recognize that our earthly marriage is designed to reflect Jesus’ permanent love for the church and the church’s eternal commitment and obedience to Jesus?
7. Read Genesis 2:18-25 and Hebrews 13:4. What are some priority shifts you can make to better guard and honor your marriage? If you are single, what are some priority shifts you can make to better guard and honor your future marriage?
8. Read Matthew 19:10-12 and 1 Corinthians 7:32-35. How do Jesus and Paul’s word show you the validity and even the benefit of singleness for the sake of gospel advancement?