Untitled Sermon (4)

Prelude,

GIVING OF THE BRIDE: Who gives this woman to be married to this man...everyone please be seated?

WELCOME AN PURPOSE

Family and Friends, with great joy we are gathered here in the sight of God as Allison and Michael are united in marriage. We praise God for bringing them to commit to one another in it today. Also we thank each of you. I’m certain that words cannot express their appreciation to each one of you for sharing this day and this moment with them.

Allison and Michael, as you prepare to take these vows you are making an exclusive commitment one to the other for as long as you both shall live. Your commitment is not only to one another but to God in your marriage. Your love for each other should never be diminished by difficult circumstances, but instead endure until death separates you.

As God's children, your marriage is strengthened by your obedience to your Heavenly Father and His Word. As you let God be in control of your marriage, He will cause your home to be a place of joy and a testimony to the world.

GIVING OF THE BRIDE: Who gives this woman to be married to this man...everyone please be seated?

Personal Note:

(Michael and Allison:

**Burned cobbler story... “So I’ve always hoped for a wife than can cook well. It’s definitely been a priority for me when thinking about the woman i want to marry… shortly after allison and I started dating, she decides she wants to make some peach cobbler. I’m pretty sure this was the first time I had ever seen her cook. She proceeds to burn the cobbler and catch the oven on fire…she turned out to be a great cook.

I am grateful for the efforts you have both taken to be ready for this day and what will come after it. It is my prayer that God bless your family in every way.

Marriage is a creation of God, and it is a wonderful thing that you two have come today desiring to be united in this sacred relationship.

(Trans: As we begin…)

Prayer; Dear Lord and Father, We thank you, for the beauty and the joy of this occasion. And we ask, that your richest blessings would be poured upon Chase and Kayla in their union together. As they commit their lives to one another today, help them to go into this relationship with all of their hearts, souls, mind and strength. We pray dear God that their devotion to one another will be as strong as it can be with no other commitment greater except their commitment to You. Help them, Father, to be even more powerful in your service because of the uniting of their lives. May Your will be accomplished in their one life together.

Trans: Before you vow your lives to one another let me encourage you with what scripture says that applies to your marriage today.

Message

What you are entering into today is one of the most incredible things that God ever created. We remember in Genesis when God finished creating man and woman and the bond of marriage he said in : “Therefore man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” and then regarding this relationship it says, “And God blessed them. And God said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply…” and then in verse 31, “God saw that everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”

The marriage that each of you is entering into today is a creation of God and can be very good and one the most incredible continual experiences that you can have.

So as you begin this relationship today and continue to grow in it I want to encourage you to always look to God the creator of it for how to love each other and live in it. So I encourage you to…

Love each other with the Passion that God loves You.

God designed marriage to be a great blessings and a constant reminder of His love for you as you love one another. If your love for one another matches the love that Christ has for you then your marriage will never fail.

The best description of love is Jesus and the unconditional, sacrificial love that He gave when He died for us…just as says “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Jesus gave everything He had for the bride that He loves.

says, “Love never fails…” Yes, you will make mistakes, Yes, you will have struggles, you may disappoint each other but as long as you have love, your commitment will never fail because you truly love.

says, “God is love.”

Because God is the very definition of love and He created marriage, instead of looking to the world, look to him to understand how you should love one another and what your marriage should be.

You can know the depth of love that you are to have for one another by understanding just how deep God love for you is…as says

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us”

If you love one another as Christ loves then your love for your spouse will be so strong that you to live for them and even be willing to die for them.

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us”

And then in verse 25 it says, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

Love each other as Christ loves you…even with your flaws, even when you make mistakes, even when you disappoint, even when you are weak, he forgives you, cherishes you and celebrates you.

So flaws, mistakes, weird quirks, (you know you have themJ), and all…!!

describes this kind of love, it says, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Love each other like this…because that is how Christ loves you.

Jesus came and lived life on this earth for us and was loved until the death and more…So if you would truly be willing to die for one another live for one another first until the day death separates you.

LET THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IN YOUR MARRIAGE NOT BE SELF, OR EACH OTHER BUT GOD.

As you live in your marriage from this day forward, do not live in it for yourself…live for your spouse. Michael, put Allison first before yourself… Look to fulfill her needs before your own. Give her the love she desires and that Christ commands and has for His church. Allison, likewise put Michael before yourself… Look to fulfill his needs before your own. Seek to give Micheal the respect that he desires and God’s word instructs.

But even before each other, put God first in your marriage! Live daily in your marriage that the most important One in it is God and as long as God is in the middle of your home as its foundation…it will stand.

SEEK FULFILLMENT IN GOD FIRST AND YOU WILL FIND IT IN EACH OTHER.

As you begin your marriage relationship today it’s my hope that you realize that you cannot have complete fulfillment in one another until you first find complete fulfillment through Christ. So it is my prayer that as your each grow closer to Christ you grow closer and become more and more devoted to each other.

THE STRENGTH OF A THREEFOLD CORD

Through Solomon God said in the book of ECCLESIASTIES CHAPTER 4:9-10:

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! two will withstand…—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

Your marriage is much like this. Each of you is a strand in the cord and as you are wrapped up in commitment to one another you are strong but when God is the third strand in the cord of your marriage it will not be broken. Two are better than one but “a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Let your marriage always be a threefold cord consisting of each of you and God as the strongest strand that keeps you together. Do not only be wrapped up in each other but be wrapped up together in God.

THE ETERNAL TRIANGLE:

It has also been said that the ideal marriage is like an eternal triangle, with each of you at the bottom of the triangle and God at the top. In that triangle, the closer each of you gets closer to God, the closer you become to one another. So, I encourage you to put everything you have into your marriage and most of all put God in the center of your lives and marriage.

Wedding Vows (Will you now please face one another and join hands.) [Maid of honor takes ALLISON’s bouquet.] Now, MICHAEL and ALLISON, we know that you will continue to vow your love to each other through YOUR words and actions each day. But now today we ask you to pledge your love for each other both before God and everyone here.

And so, Michael, promising before God, do you take Allison to be your wife; to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to honor and to cherish for as long as you both shall live? [I do]

And, now Allison, promising before God, do you take Michael to be your husband; to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, to honor and to cherish for as long as you both shall live? [I do]

Rings: And now the rings. [Hand ring to Michael]

Having vowed your covenant of love to each other, you will exchange rings now as a continual sign of your commitment. The wedding rings which you are about to give and to receive symbolize the vows and unending commitment that you have shared with one another. Each time you see these rings, be reminded of the love you hold for each other and of the promises you have made this day. May the love and commitment you have for one another be unending just like the circles these rings make.

Now, Michael, place this ring on Allison’s left hand and repeat after me:

With this ring . . .

I pledge my faithful love and undying devotion . . .

to you and you alone. . . .

With all that I have . . .

and all that I am . . .I make this commitment to you . . .

[Hand Ring to Allison] And Allison, likewise, as you place this ring on Michael’s hand, repeat after me:

With this ring . . .

I pledge my faithful love and undying devotion . . .

to you and you alone. . . .

With all that I have . . .

and all that I am . . .

I make this commitment to you . . .

As you wear these rings they will become so familiar to you that they will become a part of who you are just as each of you becomes a part of one another today.

Just as the rings make an endless circle let your love be an unending circle of devotion and passion.

May you be as proud of these rings every day of your marriage as you are today. I pray that “the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another” and that you will strive to keep it as deep and full as it is today.

PRAYER OF BLESSING

Let’s go to God once more to ask His blessing on your union;

Prayer of Blessing: “Lord God, gracious father, we come before you on this day with joy and thanksgiving in our hearts because of these two that have come together in your name. Thank you for bringing them together and to this place today. It is our prayer that you would be with them from this day forward. Bless them Father with all the strength, love & guidance they need for all the years to come.

Proclamation of marriage:

Michael and Allison, because you have made your vows here in the presence of God and all these witnesses, by the authority given me by the State of Texas, I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife. “What God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Michael, “You may kiss your bride.”

Introduction of Couple;

Ladies and Gentleman, it is my honor and pleasure to present to you for the very first time: Mr and Mrs Michael Hay

Recessional:

Micheal and Allison would now like to invite each of you to their reception which will very soon follow....Thank you, you are dismissed.