And the Two Shall Become One – Pt 1
Salutation and Gratitude
Introduction:
v What does a couple do when they feel that there is nothing left to their marriage—“there is no more love left in your hearts for one another”?
“They have to learn how to love one another."
“I am not talking about feelings" because Love is not feeling first, it begins with a desire to please God.
In the Bible God commands us to love one another not to feel love for one another—"In the Bible: 'Love the Lord your God. . . Love your neighbor as yourself!'
v For the men in the marriage, God says, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her' (Ephesians 5:25).
Men must remember that Christ died on the cross for the Church" and that is what kind of love men must strive for in their marriage.
If a man wants peace and joy in his marriage, he must stop pursuing it and lay down his life to please God.
What pleases God is that men imitate Him—Listen to this: 'God so loved the world that He gave His unique son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' (John 3:16)
Going back to Ephesians 5:25, God commands the 'Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church'
Husbands, if we do not have “love in our homes”, it is “primarily our fault and it is our responsibility to see to it that love is generated, maintained and grows.”
v For the women in the marriage God says that they are to love their husbands and children.
Wives are to respectfully obey their husband in every area of their life.
God “insist upon a wife’s submission: 'As the Church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject to their husbands' (Ephesians 5:24).”
1 Peter 3:1-2 “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands…”
Submission means to obey with respect.
v In Marriage, a couple must practice Forgiveness according to Scripture and not feelings.
God shows us how to forgive through His forgiveness of our sins through Christ—God promised to remember our sins against us no more.
That does not mean that He forgets our sins, rather that He never brings up our sins to use them against us again.
God wants marriages to show the world the love of Christ for the church and the love of the church for Christ.
Purpose:
v To present God’s design for marriage, in order for you to live as one, so that you can experience the blessings of a holy union.
[Please stand and turn…]
Scripture: Gen 2:18-25 (KJV)
Title: And the Two Shall Become One – Pt 1
Theme:
God designed marriage to be a divine institution between a man and women to live in unity as they cared for His creation.
[Looking at the Scriptures…]
Background:
In Genesis 1 and 2, you find the description of the creation of all things by God.
o On the first day, God create light.
o On the second day, God created space and water.
o On the third day, God created plant life.
o On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars.
o On the fifth day, God created fish and fowl.
o On the sixth day, God created animals and people.
o On the seventh day, God rested from His creative work because it was complete and good.
Not only did God create all things but He also created a sacred institution called the marriage covenant.
o On the sixth day of creation God instituted the first marriage between a man and a woman.
A marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman with God as the solemn witness.
It is a solemn agreement between a husband and wife to be united in all areas of their life where the Lord is a witness to the divine transaction.
o In Proverbs 2:17, the Bible calls a marriage “the covenant of God”.
Marriage was created by God for the purpose of companionship, sexual intimacy, and children.
Repeat after me, “Marriage is a divine covenant created and blessed by God—Amen”.
[When you start to think about the marriage covenant, you must consider the Lord…]
Teaching
v The Lord Determines When You Should Not Be Alone.
The loneliness of Adam.
Genesis 1:18-20 18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Adams was living the Garden of Eden with all of God’s creatures but still he was alone.
[In addition to God determining the length of your alone period, but …]
v The Lord Determines Who You Should Marry.
The making of Eve.
Genesis 1:21-22 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Eve, the first woman, was formed from the flesh and bone of Adam’s side.
[Just as the God determines when and who you should be marry…]
v The Lord Determines What Your Marriage Should Be Like.
The marriage covenant.
Genesis 1:23-25 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Eve was returned to Adam’s side and the two are united into one—this is history’s first marriage.
[Symbolically …]
Application
v A marriage represents Christ and the church
A husband must love his wife in such a way that he dies for her.
A wife must love her husband in such a way that she lives for him.
v As a husband and wife live according to the original design for the divine institution of marriage, they become transparent to one another without fear.
[As I close …]
Conclusion
v Marriage Sour by Jay Adams
Phil and Emily were having problems in their marriage and decided to come to their chaplain. However they were not coming for marriage counseling. Actually, their minds had already were made up -- they had decided to get a divorce. Yet, they were Christians and they knew that a divorce was wrong since they had no biblical grounds for it. There had been no adultery, no desertion; only untold misery. "If we can only get him to agree that going on in this marriage would be a impossibility," they thought, "then perhaps he will be able to show us how in our case God will make an exception to His law."
v After explaining their problems to their chaplain, Emily said, "So you see, there is simply nothing left to our marriage. I don't feel a thing for Phil anymore; there is nothing to build on." Phil said, "Well, I suppose that it has been a long time since you've heard a story like that, Chaplain. And, while we don't agree on many things, I must say that Emily is absolutely correct when she claims that there is nothing left to our marriage -- every drop of love that I once had for her has drained away." They both sat back in an uneasy confidence, knowing down deep that divorce was wrong, but sure that they had spoken the last word on the issue.
v The Chaplain replied, "I am truly sorry to hear about your difficult times and the sorry state in which you find yourselves at present. I can understand why you have come for help. When a marriage has gone sour and you find that all of your own efforts to try to sweeten it again fail, then you do need help. You say that there is no love and no feeling left? That's serious. If you don't love each other, there is only one thing to do. ("Here it comes" they thought; "He will advise a divorce."). The Chaplain said, “You will have to learn how to love one another."
v Love begins with a desire to please God.
Love toward another is a willingness to give whatever you have that he needs.
v If you want to love the way God wants you to, say Amen.
Tell your neighbor, “Marriage is God’s covenant love as He loves you?—Praise His Name, Worship Him.
[If you are in need of God’s love today, it is available to you. “For God so loved…]
Invitation
• Gospel
Benediction
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14) AMEN