Light on the Hill

Guest (Male): Next on Light on the Hill, we point out the single thing that will destroy entire countries.

There is one thing that has the potential to completely obliterate whole societies, cultures, and even nations. We've been warned about this in Mark chapter 10, and yet it seems to be ignored more today than ever before. This cannot continue to happen because if it does, there will be nothing left. Here's Pastor James Kaddis with more.

James Kaddis: Look what Jesus says. Verse three, I love this. And he answered and said unto them, "What did Moses command you?" Now, that's a pretty hefty comment because he just turned the tables. By the way, there's a real biblical principle involved in this. It's something actually that I've learned in learning how to raise my children.

Early on, from a very young age, as a matter of fact, when my children were at the youngest of ages where they could comprehend something, they will oftentimes come to me and ask me a question. When I know they're asking me a question that they know the answer to, my instant response to them will be, "What is the answer?"

Then, when they answer the question, my statement to them is, "You're not allowed to ask questions that you know the answer to." You're not allowed. It's not only a form of deception, but it is a pattern in which you will begin to step into to use what you're learning as a tool for manipulation instead of a very powerful mechanism for growth. I don't say it that way when you're talking to children; you don't use words like that.

But Jesus is doing something that's remarkable. Jesus is not answering the question because he knows that they know the answer. As a matter of fact, their intimate knowledge of the technicalities that go with that answer is so deeply rooted within them that he turns the table by calling them on the carpet and asking them to answer the question.

Now, what they say is super interesting because there's a moment of clarity that comes with their answer, and Jesus uses that as the launching pad to just take off. Look what they say. This is really important. And they said, "Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement and to put her away."

So, what they're telling Jesus is, "Yeah, well, Moses says that we can write a letter of declaration to divorce her, and that can happen." But look what Jesus does here. It's remarkable. And Jesus answered and said unto them, "For the hardness of your heart he wrote you the precept."

By the way, let's take a quick moment to illustrate the principle that I just shared with you. They are talking about the boundaries, and Jesus is shifting it right back to the core issue. "Well, the law says that I can divorce my wife. I can literally write a letter of divorcement, and she's gone. That's what Moses says we could do."

Jesus says, "Forget the rule that Moses made. Let's talk about why he made it. Moses made the rule because of your hard hearts. Let's not ask whether or not the rule has been made. Let's not even ask whether or not you can follow the rule. Why don't we talk for just one moment about why the rule was actually made?"

"The reason that the very rule was made is because the condition of your heart is incredibly hard. You've chosen to harden yourself to the truth of God's word, and thus you're looking for the technicality, which will eventually, as Jesus said earlier, will bring you to the place where you're going to say, 'Lord, Lord, have we not? Lord, Lord, have we not?' Jesus will say, 'Go to hell. I never knew you.'"

You see, what's more important to you is to follow the technicality instead of understanding the heart behind why the rule is actually made. So Jesus is shifting the focus back. He says, "Yeah, well, you know what? I'm not going to debate whether or not that was a rule that Moses made, but what I am telling you is the rule was made because of the hardness of your heart."

People come to me all the time. They say, "Well, James, can I divorce my wife because my wife did this?" Or the wives will come into me, "Can I divorce my husband because my husband did this?" My answer to them every single time is, "Well, yeah, you can do anything. But are you doing it because you have a hard heart, or are you doing it because you're walking in obedience to God?" That's a tough question to ask somebody, isn't it? It's a very difficult question. It's a painful question to ask because you have to think it through.

Now, Jesus here is going to do something remarkable. He's going to explain the very spirit of the law. He's going to do something that we get to see oftentimes, but the way he's doing it here is so clear that you can't deny any other route. Look what he says.

"But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. And for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. And the twain shall be one flesh. So then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder."

You know what Jesus just did? Jesus took them right back to Genesis, and he gave them a lesson on marriage. Undoubtedly, what would have gone through their head is the story of Adam. They undoubtedly would have remembered exactly what the Bible said concerning how Adam ended up with a wife in the first place.

You see, God created Adam. He created the heavens and the earth. He put Adam in the most elite place for any human being to live. He put Adam in the midst of perfection. There was no hood, there was no crime, there was no lying, cheating, stealing. There was nothing sinful in the world at that point. There was no death in that world.

Through one man, the Bible says sin entered the world, and with sin, what? Death. In the moment that God creates Adam, understand, the Bible says that God created Adam in his likeness and his image. If you remember, he gave Adam five very simple commands.

God created man in his image, verse 28, and God blessed them and said unto them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the air, the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." But he gives him these commands. He said, "These are the things that you need to do. This is what you've been called to do."

And Adam starts doing it, and he starts doing it well. He's naming the animals. He's walking in fruitfulness. And in his actions, he's recognizing that the animals have something that he doesn't have. God says, "I've got a solution for you."

God puts the man to sleep, and through a series of things, he wakes up to recognizing that God had made him a woman. And they get married. God does that work. God is the one that performs that ceremony. They were designed as husband and wife to complement one another. They don't complete one another. That's hogwash. It's not even a biblical principle. They complement one another.

In the action of marriage, God fixes something that he saw as a potential problem for man. He saw the inability of man to be able to fully do what he had called man to do, so he makes a helper for man. He also shows us very clearly that the purpose of that relationship is also the survival of mankind, because with that, Adam is now capable of fulfilling the command that's been given to him in multiplying.

Multiplication, by the way, isn't just bound to having children. It's also bound to the principles that are oftentimes involved in the way that we live our life and do it successfully. God doesn't deal in addition and subtraction. God deals in multiplication. That's a very important principle to know. Adam does it all.

The Bible says that Eve is deceived by the devil, and Adam had an opportunity to not allow himself to be given to what that deception created. But instead, he chose to disobey God, and in that disobedience, it created an immediate chasm between him and his wife. Did you notice that?

At the moment that he and his wife chose to do what God told them not to do, immediately their relationship was affected in ways that they had never experienced before. Their relationship was almost destroyed. Why? Because they stood in front of one another the way they've always stood in front of one another, but then for the first time, they recognized the fact that they were naked before each other.

They were so embarrassed by that nakedness that they saw it important to cover themselves up. There was a level of stated vulnerability that existed between husband and wife. Prior to that time, there was no vulnerability. There was all connection. There was something special that was unbreakable to the point that they could stand naked before one another and not even think twice about it, not even see it as weird or unusual.

But with that sin, what happened? The immediate chasm, the immediate dividing wall came right up. And then God, as part of the curse, made it very clear that there would be a significant struggle that existed between husband and wife. By the way, each of those struggles came from one of God's core values and responsibilities that he placed upon each side.

The Bible says that God created the woman for the man, that she would be his helper. Part of the curse causes woman, in her desire to help her husband, to go beyond the boundaries that God intended for them to go beyond. God would allow the husband to come to a place where the amount of density that he has that keeps him from receiving his wife's help will create a larger chasm between the two of them because they're both struggling over the wrong things.

All of that, by the way, was created by the hardness of man's heart. Jesus was explaining that. He's saying, "You're caught up in talking about what happened with Moses, and you're caught up in talking about the rules, but I'm here to tell you, this is the way God originally intended for it to be."

"This is what God put together. God created marriage that two people would come together, and that being separated is not even an option." I have a dear friend, police officer that I worked with for years and years and years and years. I want to say three months ago, he sent me a terrible text. It broke my heart.

It was the obituary of his father. His father was a wonderful man. I didn't know him personally, but everything I hear, he was a remarkable human being. When he died, his wife was still on this earth. Death separated them after 63 years of marriage. 63 years.

I thought in my mind, it probably won't be long before she goes to be with the Lord, because they got it, right? Even in a world that was broken, corrupt, damaged, lost, they made a serious commitment to one another and enjoyed that commitment. They enjoyed the fruit of that commitment. They had a beautiful marriage. They had a wonderful life together. They even survived a child together. Painful thing. And everything stayed intact.

I got a terrible text, the same text from him today, telling me that his mom went to go be with the Lord within a few months of the time that his dad went to go be with the Lord. I was thinking in my mind, "Doesn't really surprise me." God made marriage in a way that would impact humanity so much for the better, that would enhance the way families lived, how their enterprises would grow.

What have we done now? Well, we've cheapened marriage to the point that we have all kinds of institutions now that are designed to destroy the family. Do you know public school as we know it today didn't even really exist as we know it today prior to the 1900s?

Oh, sure, there were public education institutions, undoubtedly, but most families wouldn't even think of teaching their children by giving them to somebody else. The families that made enterprises and grew from generation to generation educated their own children, taught children how to live from beginning to end, found spouses for their children, discipled their children, walked them through the difficulties oftentimes that came with marriage, taught them how to build upon a foundation that had already existed.

Where are we at now? We're in a world today that encourages you to walk away from whatever family enterprise that you have. Everybody thinks that it's noble for a person to say, "Well, I went to go get a college education because my parents never had it, and they wanted me to have something else."

Do you know almost always when I talk to people that tell me that, I say, "Well, what did your dad do for a living?" "Well, my dad had a little business, and he was doing this. He mowed lawns, and he did this and he did that." "Why didn't you ever want to build upon your dad's business?"

"No, no, my parents wanted something better for me. They wanted me to go to college." So that they could deprogram your mind and your heart from the very thing that your mom and dad put their whole lives into? Don't you think it is ironic? Don't you think it's ironic that you could see a husband and wife 40 years ago, 50 years ago, make an honest living, in many cases under one income, mowing lawns and building houses or fitting pipes or whatever it might be?

And they all have paid-off homes, they all have little nest eggs, and all of them are living relatively comfortably. Yet the people today that are going to college and making sophisticated investments and financial instruments and all that are broke. Can't buy a house. Don't know what to do. Are in big trouble. Why?

Because the lies of the world tell you to walk away from the institutions that healthy marriages create. It's no longer about building the family enterprise. It's about children waiting for their mom and dads to die like vultures so that they can take the inheritance that they have and squander it.

Jesus is making it very clear. "You're asking about the rules of divorce, and I'm telling you your heart was hard because you did not see what God's intent was within the context of marriage and the family." You didn't get it. But you can't blame those guys. I mean, you can, but don't stand holier than thou because Jesus's own disciples didn't get it.

Look at what happens next. And in the house, his disciples asked him again of the same matter. "Well, can we kind of get some clarity, Lord, now that nobody's watching?" Look at verse 11. And he saith unto them, "Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband and be married to another, she committeth adultery."

In other words, when a man makes a promise before God to be faithful to his wife and for whatever reason walks away from his wife, he has adulterated. He has committed an evil. Same thing with the woman. Why? Because when God put them together, he never had the intent for them to be in a temporary relationship. He never had the intent to do that.

Look around, guys. Look at the things the enemy is using right now to take away from the institution that God has put together. Trans-everything is destroying families. Look at what's happening with just pornography alone, how AI is now being used to rob people's minds and hearts.

I had a guy who was a—and I have to be careful how I say this, let me just phrase it a different way. I knew of a professor who was an incredibly wonderful man. Amazingly wonderful man. He had a beautiful family. Lovely wife, beautiful children. He found video games as his new hobby. He started playing them a lot.

I would see him sometimes in session, and I would look at his eyes; they were bloodshot. Never have I seen him that way. We didn't know this at the time, but many of us were going to him privately and saying, "Man, I don't know what this is." At first, we thought it was alcohol. We thought it was drugs. We began to realize he's sticking himself in front of his computer screen and playing every waking moment.

At first, it was a "let him blow off steam." Eventually, it was his wife wanted to talk to him about important issues, children wanted to get his attention over things that mattered, but he just kept isolating himself, doing what he was doing. Without getting into all the vivid details, God gave him plenty of opportunities to turn away from it. He didn't.

This was a man who was remarkable in every way. He was an amazing father, an amazing husband, a very godly leader. And within a year and a half, he was divorced. His wife left him. He's with the Lord now, but the last part of his life was not a blessed time. It was miserable because something that God had held so dear and precious was destroyed by a distraction.

There's all kinds of things like that. You'd be surprised at the things that destroy marriages. There's so many different things. My whole point behind what I'm trying to say is really simple. God never intended marriages to break. When they do, it ruins lives. Nothing is ever the same. And I want to encourage you guys with something because this is critical. I want you to learn to take these technical issues as they come up and evaluate the heart behind what those issues are.

Guest (Male): This is Light on the Hill with Pastor James Kaddis, and we're currently going through the Gospel of Mark. Listen to this study and more at lightonthehillradio.com. Pastor James's teachings are also available through the Light on the Hill app and at oneplace.com. You can listen to us wherever you get your podcasts as well.

When you have a moment sometime today, send us an email. We'd love it. It's encouraging to hear what the Lord is doing in our listeners' lives, and it's an opportunity to thank the Lord for what he's doing. There's a place to contact us at our website, lightonthehillradio.com.

We've been blessed by the feedback we've received thus far regarding Pastor James's new book, *The Last Book*. If you haven't ordered a copy yet, we'd encourage you to do so. This guide to Revelation covers the first half of the book, giving you what you need to know about the rapture and the end times in a clear and concise manner. Request your copy today at lightonthehillradio.com or through Amazon.

If God is leading you to support this radio outreach, there's also a place to make a donation at lightonthehillradio.com. Throughout the week, you can watch our live shows and short videos, many of which relate to Bible prophecy and help you to see current events with a biblical worldview. Look for these at jameskaddis.com. Now with some practical application, here's Pastor James.

James Kaddis: I'll close with this thought. As the Pharisees are looking to entrap Jesus and viewing the exchange going on as an adversarial one, and as the disciples are trying to figure out what the technical rules are so they can be equipped to answer, Jesus's heart is breaking. And he's telling both groups, he's telling the Pharisees and the disciples, it wasn't supposed to be this way. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

So, how do we bring this home? What's the application of this? Well, first and foremost, if you're watching or you're listening on the radio or you're here and maybe you find yourself in the same spot where you're divorced and remarried, and it's very likely that that divorce and remarry was not biblical, you can't undo that, right?

So, my counsel to you would be to put your whole heart in what you have and do your best to walk in obedience, understanding the heart and mind of God, seeking and trusting that God will restore the years that the cankerworm destroyed. You can't walk in condemnation over it. You can't beat yourself up. You're living in a different scenario in that God is enlightening your heart and your mind. So, you move forward.

If you're here right now and you're married and you're going through some real struggles in your marriage, do whatever it takes to preserve and save your marriage. Do whatever it takes. Life without your wife or your husband will be miserable.

I love moments like this week where my wife and children are out of the house before I even wake up. Typically, when I go to bed, I go to bed at like 4:00 in the morning, sometimes a little later than that, sometimes a little earlier than that. And I sleep about three hours.

So, this last week, my wife and my kids have been doing all kinds of things where they're waking up right around the time I wake up or just before. So they wake me up to pray with them, then I sleep for another half hour. And they're off doing whatever, and I wake up in the morning and my house is empty. I hate it. It's miserable.

It's been a long time where on a day off like yesterday, the first half of the day was without my family. It felt empty. I love God giving me moments like that because it reminds me of the value that I have in what God has given me. And it also reminds me how important it is to do whatever I can to preserve the very gift that God has given me. So, if you're in that second group and your marriage is struggling, do whatever it takes to preserve it.

If you're single and you really badly want to get married, or maybe you don't but you're thinking about it, don't be quick to jump in it unless you understand two things. Number one, God has called you. And if he hasn't called you, don't mess with it.

Number two, perhaps more significantly and more consequentially, prepare to die. If you are not willing to walk in full and complete death to self, you're going to be in trouble. But let me take it one step further. I'm asking you to think that way because the decision you are about to embark upon is permanent. The effects of that decision will be permanent. It's critical.

Guest (Male): More from the book of Mark coming up next time on Light on the Hill with Pastor James Kaddis. This listener-supported program is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Signal Hill.

I have found the peace only comes from you. I have found the joy only comes from you. 'Cause all I need is you. All I need is you.