Not a Servant but the Bride — Zac Poonen

Jesus Corrects the Pharisees’ View of Divorce

There was a time when the Pharisees came to Jesus in Matthew chapter 19. And this is a very important passage of scripture. I want you to turn please to Matthew chapter 19. And the Pharisees came to him verse 3 and asked him is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause at all?

And they were trying to test him. And Jesus replied saying In the beginning. Haven't you read that in the beginning the one who created them made them male and female? So I want you to see that little phrase there in the beginning.

In the beginning when God made Adam and Eve there was no provision for divorce. But in the law of Moses In the book of Deuteronomy we read That God said if you divorce your wife then you must give her a certificate of divorce.

That you can read in Deuteronomy 24 Verses 1 to 4. God was not telling them to divorce their wife. What he said is if you do divorce her then make sure you give a certificate to her. But they Twisted it to their own benefit.

Even though Moses had not commanded it they said Moses has commanded it. So we read in Matthew 19 and verse 7 That they say to the Lord if why then did Moses command to give a certificate and send her away.

See the word they used was Moses commanded it. But Jesus said no. See in verse 8 Moses permitted it not commanded it. There are a lot of things God permits but he doesn't command. If we don't read the scripture carefully we can miss these important things.

See for example one man does not like his wife. And he goes to Deuteronomy 24. He goes to Deuteronomy 24 and he reads there. What does he read? Deuteronomy 24 verses 1 to 4 That if It happens that a man does not find favor Find some indecency in his wife and he writes a Certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand.

So if you read that carefully there is no command to put away your wife.

He's saying if you put her away then You give a certificate of divorce.

When a man does not like his wife In those days in Israel and he wants to somehow send her away. Because now he's interested in some other woman and he comes to this verse. And he reads it carefully and he discovers it does not permit him to divorce his wife.

So he will twist it. He will twist the scripture to say Moses has said I can divorce my wife. You keep on saying that after thousand years you believe that Moses actually commanded it. See because in those days everybody did not have a Bible at home to check up that verse.

Today we have a Bible we can check up the verse. Those days the Bible was written by hand and it's very expensive and only one copy will be in the synagogue. So they read it there on Saturdays and if you don't listen carefully You can get some wrong impression.

The Danger of Twisting Scripture to Suit Personal Desires

So what I'm trying to say here is this that many Human beings are like this. Just like those Israelites. When they want to do something they'll find some verse in the Bible to do it. And they will make that verse twist it to suit their own convenience.

Because they already made up their mind what they want to do. And they go to the Bible to get what they want. And they say God said this to me. We have to be very careful that we don't use the Bible to do what we want.

I've seen so many people do this. They want to do something and they read some verse and say God has spoken to me. That's how these Pharisees were. They want to divorce their wife. And there is no command in the Old Testament.

In fact in Malachi chapter 2 God says I hate divorce. They will not look at that verse they will look for some other verse that will Twist they can twist and say yes, I can divorce my wife. Now today the question is not divorce because for Christians divorce is not permitted at all.

The same way you can twist scripture to do what you want. Whereas We must read scripture to do what God wants not what we want. Let me give you an example. Here is a young man. And he's very much in love with one girl called Grace.

Praying Oh God show me your will. Then he goes to 2nd Corinthians 12 verse 9. And he reads there My grace is sufficient for you and this girl's name is Kripa. God has shown me I have to marry Grace. How did he get that.

Because it's written here. He wanted to do something and he was looking for that verse. Now here is a second case. Another man His father Suggests one girl called Grace or Kripa. He looks at her and says, I don't like.

I don't like her face. So he says I'll pray about it. So he reads this verse my grace is sufficient for you. So he comes to his father. God has spoken to me. His grace is sufficient for me. I don't want this grace.

See how from the same verse two people got two different things. That is just an example. You can read the Bible and get what you want from it. The Bible says God cannot be fooled. We should not Say the Lord has spoken to me when the Lord is not spoken.

See what the Lord said in Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah chapter 23 verse 31. I'm against the prophets says the Lord who use their tongues and declare the Lord declares. You read that whole chapter. They were saying whatever comes to their mind and they were saying the Lord said it.

Whatever comes to their mind they say. And they say the Lord says that. We have to be very careful about that. So turn back to Matthew 19. Here was an example of that Moses had never commanded divorce.

Here was somebody wanted to divorce his wife. He twisted the scripture to suit his own need. And they came to Jesus. And Jesus said Moses never commanded it. He permitted it. Why did he permit it? That is very important to understand.

Hard Hearts and the Higher Standard of the New Covenant

Matthew 19 verse 8. He permitted you because your hearts are so hard. So who is the man who divorces his wife? A man whose heart is hard. Jesus said that His heart is so hard. He doesn't want to do what God tells him to do.

He doesn't want to love his wife. He doesn't want to bear with her weaknesses. He wants to do what he wants to do. He's interested in some other woman. And so he's trying to get rid of his wife. That such a man has got a very hard heart.

So in the Old Testament people had a hard heart. That is why God permitted so many things in the Old Testament. But he does not permit it in the New Testament. For example in the Old Testament they were Permitted to be angry, but not permitted to kill.

But Jesus came and he said that is old covenant in the new covenant. You must not even be angry. See Matthew chapter 5. This is the difference between a hard heart and a soft heart. I was saying earlier that Jesus is saying come away from the law and come into a bridal relationship with me.

You see the verse written there arise my love and come away. Come away from that hard hard type of relationship. That was all right in the Old Testament. When I was the master of Israel. But now I don't want to be your master.

I want to be your husband. Isn't that better? Isn't that better? Supposing you are working in one rich man's house. Some one of your sisters is working in some rich man's house. He is not a married man, but he is a very rich man.

And you're just a very poor servant working in his house sweeping the floor and cooking the food. And every month you get your salary and go. And you go and live in some little hut and come next morning to work.

And supposing one day the master says I want to marry you. Will you be happy? Oh, that's wonderful. He wants to marry me now. Then I can live in this house. See the difference between being a servant and a wife.

That is the difference between old covenant and new covenant. That is the difference between being under the law and having this bridal relationship. That is the difference between having a hard heart and a soft heart.

See Matthew 5, verse 21. The old covenant, the law was you shall not commit murder. That is written here. If you commit murder, you'll be liable to the court. But now in the new covenant. See that was the law of Moses verse 21 Jesus saying Moses said don't commit murder.

Otherwise, we'll go to the court. But I'm saying to you verse 22 Jesus says I am saying I'm not saying what Moses said. I'm raising the standard higher. I'm saying if you're angry with your brother, you'll go to the court.

Do you see the difference? Old Testament. Moses said if you commit murder, you'll go to the court. Jesus says if you're angry with your brother, you'll go to the court. What a difference this is. What he was saying is anger is like murder in the heart.

You don't take a knife and kill him. That is external murder. But when you're angry with somebody You're killing that person in your heart. That is the difference between Old Testament and New Testament.

Jesus Applies the New Covenant to Lust and Oaths

Or see another example. Verse 27. The Old Testament law was you shall not commit adultery. That is Moses law. But Jesus says I'm saying to you if you Lust after a woman in your heart and you wish you could hold Commit adultery with her you've already committed it.

So if you don't commit murder you're living under the old covenant. If you want to live by the new covenant you must overcome anger. The old covenant if you don't commit adultery you kept the law. In the new covenant.

You should not even lust with your eyes. Take another example in the Old Testament the law was verse 33. You must not make a false vow. They would put their hand on some holy book and say I'm going to speak the truth now.

In some court and all sometimes they ask you to do that. Put your hand on the Bible and say I'm speaking the truth. Jesus said no I'm saying you should not make any oath like that. Verse 37 when you say yes, it must be yes.

When you say no it is no. You don't have to put your hand on the Bible and say now I'm speaking the truth.

You don't have to put your hand on the Bible and say now I'm speaking the truth.

See when you put your hand on the Bible and say now I'll speak the truth. What your meaning is most of the time I tell lies but now I'm going to speak the truth. Are you like that? That only when you put your hand on the Bible you'll speak the truth.

Rest of the time you tell lies.

Then you're in the Old Testament Jesus says yes, yes.

No, no, you shouldn't go back on your word. What I'm trying to say is the standard is so high. Because a Servant can live in a low standard, but a wife cannot live at the low standard if she's the wife of a rich person.

The Clean Heart of Christ’s Bride

You see you go to some very rich man's house. And all the servants will be wearing very ordinary cheap clothes. But the wife will be wearing a grand dress. Spiritually what does that mean? Spiritually it means that if you live as a servant before God your spiritual standard is very low.

Like that rich man's servant can have dirty clothes. When you live under the Old Covenant your heart can be dirty. That's not serious. You are allowed to have a dirty heart under the Old Covenant. You can have anger, you can have lust, you can tell lies in your heart.

It's permitted. But in the New Covenant like that man's wife is dressed with grand clothes. Our spiritual dress in our heart must be very high standard. So what is Jesus saying when he says my love come away?

Jesus Christ says my love come away from that low standard of life where your heart is dirty all the time. Come to this higher level. I mean if The rich man tells a servant now you don't have to wear these dirty clothes come and be my wife.

I'll give you good clothes. She'll be so happy. And when the Lord says to me I'm going to take away your dirty heart, and I'm going to give you a clean heart. I should be so happy. How many of you want a beautiful dress in your heart instead of a dirty dress in your heart?

Do you really want a beautiful dress in your heart? Do you really want a heart in which there is no anger? No lusting after any woman. Always speaking the truth. How many of you want a heart like that?

So many believers who sit in churches and break bread every Sunday. Do not want a heart like that. They like a little dirty. We don't like to wear dirty clothes. If somebody offers you dirty clothes and clean clothes as a gift, which one will you take?

You will definitely take the clean clothes. God says why do you want to live in that low standard of the Old Testament then? My love come away from there. Come to where I am. Live with me with a clean heart.

Ezekiel’s Promise of a New Heart and Spirit

And then you say Lord, how can I have this clean heart? I want it. See this beautiful promise in Ezekiel chapter 36. Even though this is an Old Testament book. Here is a promise which could not be fulfilled till the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost.

Ezekiel was prophesying about a future day when it would be fulfilled. It's a word to our hearts. We who come to the Lord with dirty hearts full of sin. See what he says Ezekiel 36 verse 25. He's using a figurative language when he says I'll sprinkle clean water on you.

And make you clean. It's a picture. He's referring to the blood of Christ that will cleanse our heart. And I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and all your idols. And I will give you a new heart.

And I'll put a new spirit within you. And now listen to this promise. I'll take away that hard heart of stone and give you a soft heart of flesh. What did Jesus tell the Pharisees? Your hearts are so hard that is why you do all these wrong things.

It is because your hearts are so hard that God gave you such a low Standard in the Old Testament. Don't you think the Old Testament stands? There are millions of people in our villages who honor their father and mother.

And if your life is only like their life, then what is the difference between you and the unbelievers? They've got a hard heart and they keep all these commandments. And if you only keep the ten commandments your heart is also hard.

But the Lord says I'll take away that hard heart. You don't have to give it up. If you permit me the Lord says I'll take it away. And I will give you a soft heart. And here is the promise that was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost verse 27 I will put my spirit inside you.

In the Old Testament the spirit was only on top of people. Like on Samson Spirit came on him he could kill lions. But it was not inside him. So his heart was dirty. Even Samson his heart was so dirty.

Because spirit was not inside. But now the Lord says I'll put my spirit inside you. And look at this wonderful promise I will make you keep my command. And you will automatically be careful to do all my command.

This is the result of the Holy Spirit coming in. Making us love Jesus. Where we come away at the invitation of the Lord from that low level of life. So I want you to take this invitation very seriously that the Lord is giving us.

Come away from the law. Come away from that low level of life. Come to what I originally purposed for man. So I told you a little bit about the hardness of heart that Jesus spoke in Matthew 19. When your heart is hard he allows you to live at a low level of life.

A Soft Heart Sensitive to Sin

But when he cleanses us in his blood And gives us his Holy Spirit. To dwell inside our hearts become soft. Then we get convicted even if we lose our temper. Or if one look of lust I get convicted because I got a soft heart.

Do you get convicted every time you get angry? If you say no then your heart must be hard. You know some parts of our body are hard and some parts of our body are soft. If I take a pin and I poke the sole of my foot I don't feel anything because it's quite hard.

But if I take that same pin and touch my cheek immediately I feel it. How is your heart? Is your heart like the sole of your foot or is it like the cheek?

Is your heart like the sole of your foot or is it like the cheek?

You can do something wrong and you don't feel convicted. You can tell a lie and you don't feel convicted. In the office you can sign a false statement to make some money. And you don't feel convicted.

You can speak evil of other people behind their back and you don't feel convicted. You can hate somebody and you don't feel convicted. You can have a bitterness in your heart against somebody and you don't feel convicted.

You can look with lust at a woman and you don't feel convicted. Nowadays so many young people are sitting in the computer and looking at all types of dirty pictures. And they don't feel convicted. And Sunday morning they come and break bread.

How is that? How is it possible? Because they have got a hard heart. They have not allowed the Lord to give them a soft heart. You must ask the Lord to give you a soft heart. Very sensitive to sin. The other thing Jesus said in Matthew 19.

God’s Original Design for Marriage

Also what I pointed out to you in verse 4. He said think how it was in the beginning. Don't think about after Moses came some 2500 years after Adam.

Don't think about what happened after 2500 years.

Moses was born 2500 years after Adam. And he brought the law. And the Lord said don't go by that standard. Go back to the beginning. When God made Adam He made one man. Did he make two women? No He didn't tell Adam take one.

And when you get tired of that one you can choose this one. No He made only one woman. That was God's plan in the beginning. So if you want to understand God's plan for us You can also see that in Adam and Eve.

See Genesis chapter 2 Verse 22. It says in verse 21. The Lord put this man to a deep sleep And took out one of his ribs And from that rib he made a woman And he brought her to the man. Genesis 2 verse 22.

And the man said this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh I am one with her. This is not my servant This is my wife Because she came from my side. This is how it was in the beginning. What does this passage mean?

Marriage as a Picture of Christ and the Church

Is it only talking about husband and wife? Let's turn to Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians 5 It says here. Verse 23. The husband is the head of the wife Just like Christ is the head of the church. And then the same verse that we find in Genesis 2 Where the Lord said you must leave your father and mother and leave to your wife.

Just like the Lord said you must leave your father and mother and leave to your wife.

In Genesis 2 verse 24.

The husband is the head of the wife. Just like the Lord said you must leave your father and mother and leave to your wife.

That is referring to Adam and Eve becoming one flesh. That is written in the New Testament in Ephesians 5. Verse 31. Same verse. The husband is the head of the wife. Just like the Lord said you must leave your father and mother and leave to your wife.

But now in the New Testament The Holy Spirit says I am not talking about Adam and Eve. Verse 32.

I am talking about Christ and the church.

So that picture in the Old Testament That event in the Old Testament Is a picture of Christ and the church. So go back to the beginning. Did God make a servant for Adam or did he make a wife?

Did God make a servant for Adam or did he make a wife? He could have made a servant.

He could have said Adam needs a helper. I will make a servant for him. No. He made a wife. You young people Would you like a servant or a wife? Adam did not want a servant. He wanted a wife. God gave him a wife.

Christ’s Death Creates His Bride

How did he give him a wife? He put Adam to sleep. Sleep is a picture of death. We can say God put Jesus to death on the cross. That is just like putting Adam to sleep. And Jesus slept the sleep of death.

And like God made a hole in Adam's side And took out a bone and made a wife. When Jesus was hanging on the cross His side was also pierced And all the blood came out. And because of that we are cleansed and we have become his wife.

That is exactly like Adam got his wife. Like God cut open his side and took out a bone First putting him to sleep. So Jesus also was put to sleep on the cross. Death. And his side was pierced. This time it was not a bone but the blood.

That blood Cleansed and made a wife for him. And just like he said to Adam and Eve you must be one. The father says you and Jesus must be one. That is the wonderful position into which the Lord is calling us.

Living as the Bride Rather Than a Servant

So always say this to yourself. I am not a servant. I am a wife. I am not a servant of Jesus. I am the bride of Jesus. He does not love me like a servant. He loves me like a bride. See a rich man may be a very kind man.

And he may be kind to his servants. And like that God is kind to so many people in the world. But think how that rich man will love his own wife. That is how God loves us. So we must rejoice in that love.

Prayer for a Soft Heart and Bridal Relationship

Let us pray. Heavenly Father I want you to think of dear brothers and sisters. I want you to think of what you heard just now. And ask the Lord to give you a soft heart And to save you from being a servant to be the bride of Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father Help us each one To live the way you want us to live. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.