The Treasure of Marriage

I've been finding so much peace in the idea that God is farrrrr more intelligent and wiser and effective than I can even imagine!!

What I mean by that is that, RARELY, is he doing something simple. It's not as simple as - this is the will of God to move from point A to point B. More often than not, he's moving parts here and there everywhere! He's showing love in my life to show love in yours and yours and yours! He's saving a young boy so that he might proclaim his excellencies and majesty of his father to countless others. He challenges someone so that her heart changes and then the hearts of those around her are convicted and that everyone's hearts become more like Him! He's doing a lot!

I imagine it to be much like a symphony where much is happening and it is all with one goal and there are crescendos one of which the world has ALREADY experienced.

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Jesus Christ on the cross.

Like we've already heard today. The Cross is powerful. It's effects are far reaching and complex and immense.

Right if the bat - GOD HIMSELF put on flesh and bone. He came to earth and dwelt among us. And he was on a mission with multifaceted purpose. He was on a mission to take upon himself the penalty of our sin which was death!

As we even heard from the couple just now, I can’t express how much all of this is about Jesus Christ.

He died the most gruesome and shameful and painful of deaths on the cross fulfilling the requirements...the penalty of selfishness and pride

He was put in the grave three days. Then the spirit stirred within Him, and he rose from the dead....

Cmon - crescendo

But all that he did here on earth wasn't just bringing salvation TO ALL who would believe that they were in need and that he provided that need. As if that was not enough.

As we even heard from the couple just now, I can’t express how much all of this is about Jesus Christ.

He established a character and an example that the world had never really seen before! He showed us what a true King looked like! And he established his kingdom.

This brings me so much happiness to think - that was my King! What a fantastic truth. That my King himself made all things right for me to be a part of his kingdom.

To sit at his table that's filled with food. To be able to come to the King's throne without fear. To experience life as he intended it to be. Life under the rightful and just, glorious and majestic King!

THEME: The magnitude of what Jesus Christ did on the cross is immense. Not only did He bring salvation to all who would believe, reconciling us to the Kingdom of heaven - He also established an example of life that the world never really saw before.

It’s a glimpse of his unrelenting love.

In Matthew chapter 13 it says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure in a field. When a man finds it he covers it up, then he goes and sells ALL that he has and buys the entire field. Just for the treasure!

The incarnation happened - God himself put on flesh and bone and became a man.

His death on the cross was real - Christ came to die on behalf of you and me

My wife and I have been going through slowly but surely over the past couple of weeks and it has been such a blessing.

And when Spirit stirred in him after 3 days and raised him from the dead - everything changed

Romans 8:10–11 ESV

10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

It’s a

Romans 6:10–11 ESV

10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

THEME:

Glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven are riddled all throughout the Word of God. But the most simple and clear truths seem to be given directly by Jesus Christ by way of parables throughout the gospels.

In Matthew chapter 13 it says the the Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches

If you keep reading you see that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure in a field. When a man finds it he covers it up, then in joy he goes and sells ALL that he has and buys the entire field. Just for the treasure!

Pretty simple right? The Kingdom of Heaven is a treasure that is worth everything. And it is a complete joy to give up everything for it.

So the other day I was thinking about this day, what it looks like and what it means. In scripture it is so very clear that the this wedding day, the longing for a groom towards his future bride, and the love of a husband towards his wife is a reflection of Jesus Christ’s love for the church.

THEME: It is that very example that infuses, empowers, and strengthens what we see before us today.

God’s unending love for the world was established by Jesus Christ. Christ’s love for the Church is displayed through a Husband’s love for His wife, The Church’s response to that love is displayed through a Wife’s submission to her husband.

As I thought about what to say here today, my heart was drawn .

That means what we see before us today is an image, a reflection, a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven!

Christ’s love for the Church is displayed through a Husband’s love for His wife, The Church’s response to that love is displayed through a Wife’s submission to her husband. This relationship is designed to be a microcosm of the Kingdom of Heaven!

Small beginnings. Today is a day of small beginnings with the potential for exponential growth.

You have a treasure before you. Just as Christ treasured us and gave himself up for us as if we were worth everything - treasure the one who stands before you. Give up everything in this world! It is worth it.

Eventually in the Word you come to the powerful and profound verse in Romans chapter 14.

Romans 14:17 ESV

17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Kingdom of God is Righteousness peace and joy! Righteousness is not something earned. It’s given by way of great cost on the cross. His kingdom is filled with peace and joy.

This world is broken…it’s bruised and beat down, and we ourselves have experienced it. Everyone experiences it on a daily basis!

But I challenge you to embrace the small beginnings. May 31st in Atlanta, Georgia.

Start your life as one together with something as simple, as small as, treasuring the Love of God and treasuring each other you will represent and enjoy a Kingdom of righteousness and peace and joy.

It’s worth everything!

NOTES:

Grace sets people free from sin - not rules or good works

Grace sets people free from sin - not rules or good works

Romans 14:17 ESV

17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Kingdom - there is ONE King

It's fitting isn't it and it gives new light to the verse that says not that we loved him but that he first lived us! He treated us as a treasure first! He gave everything for us first! He gave it all, including his own life. No greater love has anyone but this than to lay down his life for his friends.

He/she is your friend. The only response to him is everything. The only response to this day is everything

One treasure one truth one way one life

CHOICE

The Foundry

City - Atlanta

County - Fulton County

Westlake Bible Fellowship

27975 Hilliard Blvd.

Westlake, OH 44145

Processional:

Parents of Groom/Family come out

Vinay and Danny come out with groomsmen

Bridesmaids come out

Jaysly and Parents come out and stand before Vinay and Danny

Vinay:

Family and friends, we are in the presence of God here today. And we’ve gathered to join this man and woman in holy matrimony. Let’s just be joyful with Danny and Jaysly as we have the privilege to witness them become one. Make no mistake, what we watch unfold today is a covenant that was instituted at the dawn of creation in the garden of eden, and it will be epitomized forever in heaven by Christ and the Church he so eagerly waits to embrace with open arms and nail pierced hands. In that very garden, the Lord took one look at man and fittingly said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.” And it was from his very bone...that Woman was formed. Then it was proclaimed that a man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

What we witness here today is beautiful and immense. It is good and honorable and true. We witness a Man longing to cling to his wife, and a Woman, a helper, made so very perfectly for him.

Who gives this Woman to marry this Man?

Jaysly’s Parents:

Her mother and I.

Jaysly’s Parents take a seat.

Danny helps Jaysly up on stage and they stand separate.

Welcome:

Vinay welcomes everyone:

Good evening everyone!

I’ve known Danny since he was just a little baby and now he’s a big baby. Ha..I kid. It’s been such a blessing getting to witness Danny grow over the years, especially over the last 4 years or so where we’ve consistently kept up and encouraged each other. It’s weird to say, but I only met Jaysly just last year...but I feel like I’ve known her my whole life! I’m sure many of you felt the same way when you first met her. It’s a testament to the genuine character and joy that can only come from Christ living within their hearts.

On behalf of the parents and the bride and groom, we welcome all of you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for all of you who traveled from afar on plane’s, driving long distances, and even everybody that paid $30 for parking thank you so much f- we are so happy you're here and that you could afford that. You're awesome and I hope you are excited for the day. We ask that you just silence your cell phones - I would actually suggest taking a moment to just turn off your cell phones and just enjoy the moment.  If your cell phone goes off...we will find you...we know your home addresses because we have a whole list...that’s how you were invited. But in all seriousness, we want you to have fun and to understand the depth of love that brought us here to this moment. Love that started before we even know displayed on a Cross thousands of years ago.

It’s a little unconventional, but the bride and groom wanted to share a little bit of their heart and testimony with you today.

Prayer

John Kunchandy

Worship

Fanye leads Worship

Message

Vows

Vinay:

They take hands at this point - It’s ok to hold each others hands now, you can do it forever after today.

Danny and Jaysly, it has been an honor walking this life with you over the years. You both have answered the call to submit your lives in complete humility to the person of Jesus Christ, and now you answer the call to step into the covenant of marriage continuing to honor Him by serving each other.

Danny you are called to love Jaysly just as Christ loved the Church by giving himself up for it. You are called to lead your family and home by His grace alone. As a husband you have the ability to nourish and cherish your wife unlike anything else on this earth.

Jaysly you are called to submit yourself to Danny just as the Church submits to Christ. You are called to build your family and home by His grace alone. As a wife of noble character your worth is immeasurable, and by it your husband will lack nothing.

God’s covenant with man is filled with many promises, and every promise is an absolute guarantee because of the immutable, unchanging character of the One who stands behind it. Right now we witness promises pour forth in the form of vows that ratify this covenant. And the power of these promises are not in the two standing before us alone, but are in the One who lives within them.

Vinay:

“Praise the Lord! Danny, I understand that you too have a few words to share with Lydia”

Danny:

Danny shares his personal vows. Places ring on Jaysly

Jaysly:

Jaysly shares her personal vows. Places ring on Danny

The vows witnessed here today bind Danny and Jaysly as one before God and these witnesses gathered here. The rings that were exchanged are simply a visible symbol of their spiritual union. We pray that as you begin this journey together, your heart as one would strive to reflect Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Above all, it will be by your love for one another you will prove He is alive. Together you will serve Him more powerfully than apart.

Declaration of Marriage

Vinay:

“Danny and Jaysly  you were known and loved by God before your days began; you were brought together in accordance to His perfect will; and now based on the authority of the infallible Word of God, you are established together as one. It is my distinct pleasure, as a Minister of the Gospel of Christ, by the authority granted to me by the state of Georgia, to pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.

(Mark 10:9)

Vinay:

At this time, let us bow our heads and commit Danny and Jaysly to the Lord in prayer!

Presentation of Couple

Vinay:

Beloved family and friends please rise and join me in celebrating God’s faithfulness by congratulating for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel George!

Recessional

Announcements