Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Marriage is ?

I wonder what answers you would get if asked 100 people?

Marriage is hard, torture, unfair, old fashioned, wonderful, the best thing ever, holy?

Marriage is wonderful, it is a blessing, but it is also challanging, it is also sacrificial.

The decision to get marriade is second only to the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

This morning, by the grace of God, through His Word and through my experience I want to encourge all the married couples to be better spouses, and i want to do by reminding you that often it is the simple things, the ABC’s that can be a huge factor in whether you live in the blessing of wedlock or the nightmare of desdlock.

A - Adoration

Look at the words used here: “My” “mine” “beloved” - these are adorning, loving words.

Note the hint of godly jelousy, “is mine, and I am his”.

When you adore something and its precious and uniquely wonderful to you, there will always be godly jelousy.

Even the Lord feels that way about His Sovregnity.

What does it mean to adore your spouse?

Nourish and cherish.

The word Adore comes from the greek Kosmos, it speaks of order, its where the word cosmetics comes from.

Adoring some is to make them beautiful.

So when i say Adore your spouse I mean beautify them.

Let me give you an illistration.

Hold up picture

This piocture was dfrawn for me by my daughter.

Now I have a choice to make.

This is not a perfect drawing, i know that it is not without even looking at it.

But this is my daughters picture.

I can look at it is adore it, by focusing on all the wonderful parts.

The colours, the imagination, the effort, the smiles there is a lot of wonderfful things in this picture.

Or I could bring out the magnifying glass of critisism and look for everything that is wrong with the picture.

Wrong colour, or shapes, went outside the lines, poor syimitry.

By focusinmg on what right, i look for the good and the picture becomes more and more beufiful.

By focusing on the flaws, I look past all the good and the picture becomes more and more ugly.

Now you may ask: Why would you look for flaws in your daughters picture and not adore the good?

Well I would ask, why do you do that with your spouse?

Your Husband/ wife is not prect, you know that.

But they are your covenent walkers with you, you are one flesh in marriage.

And there is a whole world of wonderful there for you to focus on.

But if you want to bring out the magnifying glass of critacism, there is probibly lots wrong too.

Like the drawing, i have to make a choice on what I ficus on.

The more you mfocus on your spouses shortfalkliung, mistakes, and fglaws, the begin to villify them.

(they become an enemy).

But the more you focus on their blessings, graceses, charm and good things, you begin to adore them.

B - Blessings

By this I am refering to the way we speak to our Spiouse.

Do our words bless or bruise?

You are supposed to be your spouses biggest fan, their cheerleader, their primary soiurse of encouragmnet.

How can we cuirse our wives/husband and then bless God with the same mouth?

The way and words you choose to use can be a deciding factor in the happiness of your marriage.

I encourage you use this power and speak life into your marriage and you do that by speaking blessings over your spouse.

the bible has nso much to say about this.

You dont speak to your spouse in a condescending, disrespectful way.

Does this mean that you always have to be in constant agreement?

Of couse not, you will mdisagree on many things, but here is a secter:

It is possible to disagree without disrespect.

C - Commitment.

Finally for a marriage to be happy you must be commited to it.

When you realise that this is your life now, that you are married, and that you are in it for the long haul, then you will have the motivation to fix and perseverer through the difficult seasons.

And i would say the same for the blessing of marriage.

Marriage is not the place you hold back, its an all in commitment.

It is often said that marriage is 100%, 50% from the husband and 50% from the wife.

This is false, marriage is 200%, 100% from each.

Its jumping in with both feet and understanding that you better make it work because there is no alternative.

Vow Renewal

Husband:

I reaffirm your love for you, and I still love, honor and cherish you in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as we both shall live.

I confess my sins to you, and ask for forgivness.

I vow today in the presence of these witness to continue to be the best husband I can be for you, because you are worth it.

I love you and I always will.

Wife:

I reaffirm your love for you, and I still love, honor and cherish you in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as we both shall live.

I confess my sins to you, and ask for forgivness.

I vow today in the presence of these witness to continue to be the best husband I can be for you, because you are worth it.

I love you and I always will.