Honoring Marriage

Introduction:

The Bible should be our guide in every aspect of our lives. It should guide us in how we conduct ourself and behavior, how we speak, how we work, what we believe, and how we worship.

Even when society normalizes things that are wrong, it is more important that the church be the light of the world and salt of the earth.

In recent years, we have seen the breaking down of the home and the marriage relationship.

Yet, the Bible affirms God honors marriage -

We need to give the same sort of honor to the marriage relationship that God does; we need to restore the honor that is in marriage.

Covenant Between Man and Woman

The book of Genesis is all about “firsts” and beginnings. The first marriage is the model marriage that every marriage is built upon.

Marriage is between a man and a woman -

Homosexual marriage was never in God’s plan; He made them male and female -

Polygamy was not in God’s design; “two became one” -

Marriage is a covenant of two becoming one. The husband and wife become one flesh -

Covenant is an agreement typically expressed in promise, law, judgment, faithfulness, and/or mercy; God establishes covenants with His people, but human relationships can also be described as covenant relationships.

When we marry and say vows before witnesses and God, it is a public oath and covenant.

The covenant is to be kept through faithfulness to your spouse -

It is a covenant that may seem hard, but that is what marriage is -

Marriage establishes a new home: leave father and mother, cleave to his wife

One flesh shows us the unity and permanence of the marriage union. Marriage is indivisible and undivided. What happens to one, affects the other; what happens to the other, affects both.

Covenant -

Covenant for life -

Guards Against Temptation

We want to honor marriage in the way God honors marriage. God has esteemed the marriage relationship, but some abuse that relationship and God does not give honor and preference to them. Instead, He judges them -

Like anything that is precious and important, marriage will take time, commitment, discipline, diligence, and work.

Many things can wreck a marriage: being unsympathetic, laziness, other people (family, friends, work), but especially temptation.

Solomon, who knew a great deal about destroying God’s idea of marriage, later wrote: Enjoy life with the wife of your youth -

“Drink water from your own cistern” — sexual satisfaction should only be found between you and your spouse; it is not meant to be shared with anyone else

Wisdom can help guard us from temptation. Temptation can happen to any single one of us and it will be subtle at first. It will seem innocent and harmless. Then we’ll become restless but the temptation will be more overt and our desires will begin to change the nature of where it began until we are ruining something that is a good thing.

Notice the instruction in :

Keep wisdom and God’s commands; when we no longer care about the commands of God, beware - ,

Temptation comes upon all people, but especially the young and those who refuse wisdom -

Sexual temptation is done in secret -

While temptation is usually private, it is brazen -

This woman is bored with home. Does she have children? Her husband isn’t home. Whatever her situation, she’s not satisfied with what is going on at home - ,

Temptation is about pleasure -

The temptress and the one who is tempted are headed down a dangerous path that leads to death -

Encourages Proper Conduct

Restoring honor in marriage God’s way, requires us to think about “how does the Lord want me to live and conduct myself?”

God has assigned roles within the marriage relationship -

Roles within the marriage relationship -

Husbands are to care for his wife and respect her -

Husbands and wives are a spiritual team, working together as fellow heirs

Husbands are to be spiritual leaders -

Leadership is shown in a loving and compassionate way, just as Christ loves us - , ;

Wives are to submit to the husband’s leadership -

Wives are to respect her husband -

Wives are to encourage her unbelieving husband -

Wives are to be focused on her inner person and her heart, not just her outside appearance -

Men showing concern for more than politics, weather, and sports is definitely countercultural. Showing sympathy, compassion, care, and leadership in spiritual activities of faith, worship, and prayer is a demanding task God has given to husbands.

Wives are called to be submissive in a culture that wants to view submission as a degrading and sub-human.

These are the roles God has assigned and given to us, shaping marriage in the way God designed it.

Conclusion:

Respecting and honoring the marriage relationship means we need to see marriage as a covenant/contract agreement we made for life, we need to guard against temptation, and we need to conduct ourself the way God has instructed us.

When we do this, God will bless our marriages because He is at the center of our marriage.