The Importance of Christian of Marriage

Intro

AS we start this morning, I ask you what is the most destructive force on children today?

It is a lack of Christlike love within marriages.

It is a vacuum of true Holy Spirit presence within a family.

Marriage is under attack in this culture for sure, but it is only succumbing to those attacks because Christians have laid down their values.

Over the Next few weeks i want to look at some cultural and social issues that deeply affect our families.

American culture has thrown truth out the window and therefore has no idea what it actually believes. If you listen to the culture, the values that are most targeted are Christian values. In particular Christian Family values. You see it everywhere, divorce, LGBTQ+ stuff, family division, abuse, children dishonoring their parents. We see all of this in this society largely because culture has left Christ. But my friends we cannot expect culture to hold to Christ if we, the body of Christ, do not.

Now I want to talk on these isses over the next few weeks because you see these issues being raised in the garden of Eden. You see Adam throwing eve to the wolves, blaming her for his Sin. You see eve falling prey to the devils lies because she would not bow to the word of God. You see brother killing brother. breaking up the first family ever. These issues we are dealing with are not new. but they can be over come in Christ.

Now these topics are very sensitive to us, not because they are taboo necessarily but because their are so personal. There is no one in this room who has not felt the effects of divorce, an LGBTQ+ family member, family division, or abuse. To one degree or another we are all scarred by these things. WE are talking about it not to dredge up old wounds but to guard against the works of the enemy any further, and to hopefully bring healing and hope to lives.

Today however I want to lay out the creation of family and why it is sooo hated by this world.

Genesis 1:27–28 ESV

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Right there the culture has a problem. Male a female! A binary. there is only 2. Peoples minds explode

Facebook recognizes 58 genders.

Most sources that I found say there is an unknown number of genders.

That is why Gen 1:27 must be scrubbed. God says, I made 2.

So that is where God created man and woman and married them

But lets go to Ephesians 5 and see why marriage is so important to God.

Ephesians 5:22–33 ESV

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Wives and Husbands

Ephesians 5:22–24 ESV

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Again from a cultural perspective here the issue. you are one verse in to Paul talking about marriage and you are already in a full blown war with modern culture.

Wives and husbands= A binary. They are 2 distinct things.

second thing we see here is that Marriage is exclusive between a man and a woman.

You cannot be a husband, unless you have a wife, biblically. Now you may say, of course but i know 2 men that are married. but we need to understand that just because the state recognizes something as legal does not mean God does.

The state of Florida may condone same sex marriage. But understand God does not.

But here at last we have another conflict with culture right here in both Genesis 3:6 and Ephesians 5:22.

A third conflict you have here is Wives submit to your own husband. That is a bridge to far for many in modern culture. The modern feminist movement. indeed the entirety of the modern secular movement has moved to dethrone men. This in particular ties to the curse. If you remember during the fall.

Genesis 3:16 ESV

To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

You see here in God bringing the judgement after the fall one of the one for the Eve was that “Her desire shall be contrary to her husband.”

Now some modern Christians read into this verse to believe that prior to the fall Adam and eve were complete equals. As humans their value was indistinguishable. Their roles however were different

Adam, named eve

she was created to help Adam.

It wasn’t that theirs roles shifted after the fall, but it was that the harmony within their relationship was fractured. Now Eve, for good reason, would doubt Adam. She would have a hard time following him.

But notice Paul’s command, to wives, Submit to your husband. Not every man, but your husband, as though you are submitting to Christ. Paul flips this. Listen, Adam messed up. Your husbands messed up. you are not submitting because they desire it. you are submitting to them because it honors and glorifies Jesus!

you see Paul making this argument to the wives at Ephesus that this isn’t about deserving. this is about Gods order.

Husbands and Wives

Ephesians 5:25–28 ESV

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

The command to husbands, is lay down your life for your wife.

But you don’t know what she has done! She doesn’t deserve it. That is the point

Neither do you. Christ laid down his life. you didn’t it. you still don’t deserve it. you will never deserve it. But He gave himself up for you.

Husbands are called to do so for their wives.

The call to husbands is to lay down your life for your wife.

The World Desperately needs to see Christ in our marriages.

Ephesians 5:30–33 ESV

because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

The 2 shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound. Only God understands how this works! WHat Paul is saying is that Marriage isn’t just about not being alone, having, or financial security. those things may come with marriage, but you see marriage, True Christ centered marriage is about so much more. It is an allegory of the Gospel.

So when you or I join in a marriage and love and respect one another the way God calls us too. God is glorified, and the gospel is proclaimed.

Secular marriage doesn’t do that. You see secular marriage, is about being happy. I cannot tell you how often I have heard, my marriage isn’t fun. What are 12? Marriage is about growing closer to Christ and closer to one another.

Sure there are good times and fun times. but there are also hard times and painful times. If you are only in this for you. It will not last.

So many couples listen to the world for their marriage advice. they go to Oprah, or Dr Phil, when all they need to do is go Jesus!

Maybe porn would spice up my marriage? It is destroy you and your marriage in the process.

Maybe an open relationship is what I need? No what you need is a closed relationship with Jesus.

Closing

The world my friends desperately needs to see marriages. Specifically Christian marriages because they need to see Jesus. Gen Z has given up on marriage largely. All they see is divorce and pain. Honestly who can blame them? the church isn’t encouraging these things very loudly. They don’t know there is another way. Gods way.