No Exit

This morning’s sermon on divorce was the best I’ve ever heard. (Of course, it would not take all the fingers on one hand to number the sermons I have heard on divorce. Despite the fact that I’ve gone to church since the first Sunday of my life. And grew up during a time of skyrocketing divorce rates. But that’s a topic for another…sermon.)

Our interim pastor, Steve Flora, is going through the Beatitudes. And he doesn’t mince words. But what stood out to me today was his illustration.

Imagine, he said, motioning to the center where we meet, if this room had no windows, and only one door. If a fire broke out over here, what would your first reaction to be? You would run to the door. You would get out as fast as you could.

But what if there were no door? Or it was locked and dead-bolted from the outside?

If a fire broke out, and there was truly no way out, what would you do? Your focus would be on putting out the fire, not on running from the flame.

We should view our marriages as barred shut, with no exit. Then our focus would not be on running out, but on restoring the fellowship, squelching the flames of anger and fanning the flames of love.

Is your marriage locked tight?

4 Comments

  1. Well-said. Thank you for this illustration! God did not provide a “door” out of our salvation; neither did He want there to be a “door” out of marriage. I agree whole-heartedly!

  2. Thank you! That is so true. It is so sad how people go into marriage today thinking that if it things go wrong..they can just get out. But we must go into marriage and encourage others to follow Christ in every aspect of life.

  3. Thank you. That is such an important reminder from your pastor – especially since marriage is designed to be an illustration of God’s love for His Bride. I love John Piper’s lines, “If Christ ever abandons and discards His Church, then a man may divorce hsi wife. And if the blood-bought church, under the new covenant, ever ceases to be the bride of Chirst, then a wife may legitimately divorce her husband.” Thank God that He always works on putting out the fire and not running out the door!

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