Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Text:

When we come to know Christ as Savior, we embark on a journey of faith. Along that journey are various stages which test our faith. If you were raised in church, then one of the firsts tests is when you get a car and a job. Another test is when you go away to college. Yet another is when you get married, and then when you have children. The passage we will look at this morning describes one of theses temptations, and gives us practical direction to hold onto our faith.

“Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers? Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant of the man who does this, who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts! And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. ‘For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.’ ” (Mal 2:10-16 ESV)

What does it mean to break faith, and how do we guard ourselves in our spirit? There are two levels to understand what it means to break faith. The first deals with who we marry (v. 11). Israelites were to marry Israelites. This wasn’t a matter of racism or superiority. It was about obeying God and keeping the faith. Marrying another Israelite helped your faith to grow! Marrying another Israelite ensured that your children would be taught God’s Word. Marrying another Israelite kept you as a part of the Israelite community.

But the male Israelites were breaking faith. How? They were marrying women who worshiped other gods. They ignored the Israelite wife they were supposed to marry. They would marry the Israelite, give them divorce papers, then marry the foreigner. Or they would marry the Israelite, then marry the foreigner as well. They disobeyed God and began to worship the foreign gods.

Each one of us us is to marry a Christian believer. It’s not a matter of superiority, but about obeying God and keeping the faith. So that our faith might be encouraged and strengthened. So that our children would be raised in the church and taught God’s Word. So that we would continue to be faithful to the church. If your faith is important to you, why would you put a huge obstacle in your path?

I read an article written by Albert Mohler this week which stated that when a person married someone from another faith, it is at least 40% more likely that they will divorce. It’s interesting, though, that those who take their faith seriously are less likely to marry someone from another faith. If Christ is your Lord, then it will be important for you to marry someone who has Christ as their Lord. Many people become Christians after they get married. Should they divorce their unbelieving spouse? No! It says in this passage that God hates divorce! (v. 16). Also, Paul addressed this idea as well (1 Corinthians 7:13).

The second level of what it means to break faith is more spiritual and more widely applicable to us all. We’ve actually been talking about it this whole time. To break faith means to ignore God’s commands and to break from God’s people (v. 10). Everything I’ve said about marriage applies to every area of our lives. We must not disregard God’s commands as if they were merely recommendations. Salvation is by grace alone through faith, but we’re not talking about easy believism. We are saved from our sin, not in our sin. In v 16, then, God was saying to the Israelites, “I don’t like this situation, but you have broken faith, and you have divorced me, and you have have covered yourself with violence by turning your back on all the commands I’ve given you.”

If we disregard God’s commands, what does that say about our heart? If we trust in God, then our desires will reflect that. If our desires reflect a trust in God, then our actions will reflect that. The Bible says that we will know a tree by its fruit. There may be periods of your life where you stray from the Lord. We still sin. But the general course of your life, if you’re saved, will be one of walking with Jesus.

If we want to remain with the Lord, and not be tempted by the world, how do we remain in the faith? The first way is to focus not on the temptations around us, but on the commands of God (v. 15). The second way is to “guard yourself in your spirit” (v. 15). This is repeated in v. 16 as well. Set your soul not on the things of the world, but on God. It’s a battle. It’s not going to be easy. But it will be a life of peace, joy, and contentment that can be found in God alone.