The Call To A Rock Solid Marriage

We will be spending some time in the Gospel of Matthew today, as we look at The Call To A Rock Solid Marriage.

Some here are not married… don’t check out.

Some here are a long way from seriously considering marriage…stick with me.

Some have been married for a long time… seek to grow!

As is always the case with the Word of God, there is something to be learned for every person.

In fact, the passage we are looking at today has nothing directly to do with marriage.

It is the end of a sermon that started in Matthew 5:3

Jesus has covered a variety of topics in these two chapters, including anger, lust, anxiety, integrity, vengeance, forgiveness, giving, fasting, and praying.

He has effectively raised the bar of morality, rebuked the religious elitists, and called people to commit to following Him.

“What exactly does all of this have to do with marriage?”

Answer: EVERYTHING!

Think about this: What is marriage?

A: Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman that is witnessed by God and others, and is a living example of Christ's relationship with the church.

Every marriage is comprised of two sinners. The best marriage is one where those sinners are united in their love of God and their commitment to serve one another.

Through marriage you can expect to learn how much sacrifice is involved in loving a sinner through all the ups and downs of life.

Ruth Graham A happy marriage is a union of two good forgivers.

Ultimately, marriage is a picture of how Christ loves us.

Ephesians 5:31–32 “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.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones You cannot understand marriage unless you are a Christian.

No one understands the love of Christ more than someone who has had their sins forgiven by Him… someone who has committed their life to following Him

Read Matthew 7:24-27.

What does it mean to have A Rock Solid Marriage?

It means to build our marriages on obedience to Jesus.

Matthew 7:24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

It means actively putting Jesus and his words at the center of our day-to-day lives, including our romance and our conflict.

James 1:22 be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

A healthy and strong marriage will seek ways to draw Jesus into the marriage.

Reading together, especially the Bible

Praying together

Singing together

Giving thanks together, for the good and the challenging times

Every marriage learns quickly that it takes special, Spirit-filled intentionality to keep from drifting off of the rock.

When tensions arise in our relationships, we naturally put up our defenses.

Whose fault is it? [Not mine!]

What was the thing said/done that got me angry?

What needs to be done to make things better for myself?

This type of thought process, though natural for us, is not reflective of what we as believers are called to.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Ephesians 5:21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

The world is all about self:

Self help

Self love

Self transformation

Self empowerment

Thus, our natural/“worldly”/sinful mind defaults to self-preservation and self-interests.

On the other hand, the gospel is all about others:

Matthew 7:12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:37–40 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

John 13:34–35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

In the 1990’s, there was a boom among youth group kids who wore bracelets or other paraphernalia with the acronym “W.W.J.D.” on it.

“What Would Jesus Do?”

Of course, the trend died not long after commercialism got its grubby paws on it and monetized it to its grave

But that question is worth having permanently at the front of our minds. It should be the filter through which we engage the world.

“What would Jesus do...”

In response to what that person said about me on social media?

In response to a tailgater blowing by me on Main St, while sharing with me what their IQ score is as they drive by?

In response to the angry spouse who is being very unloving in their communication?

Read Matthew 7:24-25

The wise, obedient, follower of Jesus has a house (i.e. life) whose foundation is solid that can weather the storms that come along.

The wise, obedient, couple have a marriage built on the foundation of the Word of God, which can weather the storms that come against it.

We must strive for the decisive factor in our relationships to be what Jesus wants most.

We won’t always know precisely what Jesus wants, but a commitment to trust and obey Him above all else, and in every situation, will resolve many tensions in many marriages.

Read Matthew 7:26-27

The foolish, disobedient, person refuses the solid foundation in favor of some beach front property that cannot stand up to the storms that come along.

When both people in a marriage are foolish, you can be sure that the shaky foundation will not hold up long to the storms that come against it.

CONCLUSION

When the forecast darkens, and the clouds crawl in, and the winds begin to howl, and the showers start to fall, we feel whether our love is built on solid ground (or not).

Are we more committed to obeying Jesus than getting our own way?

Do his words or our feelings consistently win the day?

Are we ready to take the hard, costly steps he calls us to take — again?

Is our house built on rock — or on sand?