Untitled Sermon (7)

Jesse, you dress up nicely. Jenna, you are stunning. Isn’t this dress familiar in some way? Your mom wore it and your grandmother made it? Remarkable.

Y’all aren’t the only ones who look good.

Take a second to look around and take it all in. See your people. Cherish this moment.

I’ll never forget standing in my front yard, I think it was, a year and a half ago with these two. I think it was after Life Group one Thursday night. They weren’t formally dating yet, but they were very obviously into each other. Jenna walked away, and I asked Jesse, “When are you going to ask her out?” I remember his resolve; I could see it in his eyes. It wasn’t very long after that night in my front yard that they were dating, and their relationship has blossomed over time. I love that I was part of the process there in my front yard asking that question as Jenna walked away, and I get to be part of the process here today asking a few more questions as Jenna walked that aisle to marry you. What an honor. I love you both so deeply. Before we get to those questions, I have quick a word for you.

As I prayed for you and for today, the word I kept coming back to was Provision. You didn’t go looking for each another. Jesse, as charming as you are, you weren’t working tirelessly to win Jenna’s affection. You met, became friends, and your relationship grew from there. In a way, you happened upon it. It has definitely taken work, but we see how each of you have been God’s provision to the other. You found a place to live, but the circumstances were too perfect for you to take credit. God provided for you. He’s done so again and again. You both love and follow Jesus, and you know that because of His life, death, and resurrection, He is your provision for being brought into friendship with God. You don’t have to work hard for Him to love you or pay attention to you. God is a God of provision, and you can trust that if God has supplied the provision OF your marriage, He will continue to supply provision FOR your marriage.

With that idea in mind, I want to share with you three ways marriage is God’s provision. First,…

Marriage is a provision from God for you.

In the first few pages of the Bible, in Genesis, God created the first man, Adam. He commanded Adam to be fruitful and multiply, the purpose of which was to spread God’s image bearers all over the world. Adam couldn’t fulfill this mission on His own, so God gave Him Eve. God also gave her as a result of Adam’s “being alone.” Everything God made He said was good, the only thing that fell short of this “goodness” was Adam being without a helper, a partner, a companion.

I’ll get back to the aspect of mission in a second, but God gave marriage to Adam simply as a gift. He sang to his wife the first time he saw her: JESSE. Both of you are floating + deep down you’re singing, just like Adam. You’re reflecting that marriage is a gift to those who receive it.

The book of Ephesians records that Christ created the Church, the most beautiful, diverse, and unified group of people on the planet. He made a rich community, and He gives this gift to all who follow Him. Both of you have benefited from being joined to this body. Now, you are covenanting with another human in the most intimate relationship God has created. You are each receiving a lifelong friend + companion, partner + teammate, servant + shepherd, confidant + refuge. God is giving you Jenna and you Jesse to point each of you back to Himself, His grace, His kindness, His care, and His provision for you. Marriage is a provision from God.

[Transition]:

Not only do you receive these things from God, you become them. You’ll each be these things for your spouse. So,…

Marriage is a provision from God for your spouse.

Ephesians also contains a rather large instruction for married folks. Paul described the unity of the Church and told them how to attain it, to keep it, to kindle it. He even zoomed in to do the same for husbands and wives. The interesting thing is how he encourages each party to give themselves to the other. There is no taking care of yourself. Jesus’ care-taking is implied.

If both of you trust Jesus will care for you while you obey His command to serve and give yourself to and for your spouse, neither of you will be able to deny—for long at least—the gift marriage is to your spouse. And know this…if you only hear one thing, hear this. When the worst parts of you surface and you see God’s grace growing and empowering your spouse to continue loving and serving you, you’ll know marriage is a gift for you. You may not believe it’s a gift to your spouse, but God will use the worst parts of you to deal with the worst parts of them.

Marriage won’t always feel good to you, but it will always be good for you. You will grow, + the hard times in marriage make the sweet times richer. Marriage is provision for your spouse.

[Transition]:

Being married doesn’t happen in a vacuum, though. It’s lived in the context of Jesus’ Church and the world. It happens among neighbors, coworkers, family members, and many others. So,…

Marriage is a provision from God for the Church and the world.

God gave Adam a mission to multiply, spreading God’s image bearers all over the world. Today, God gives us a different Helper in the Spirit for a similar mission in disciple-making. That does not negate the gift marriage is in furthering the cause of Christ. My wife and I fight to multiply our gifts and ministry. When we have children, adopt, foster, love our neighbors, open our home, potentially plant a church, and the copious other ways in which we serve in the world, we are doing more ministry together than we could have done on our own. I’m in seminary in Dallas and I couldn’t live without my wife. This woman is laying herself down for me, for Jesus, and that helps both of us to continue laying our lives down for our church and our neighborhood.

Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed many couples who are allowing their marriage to inform the mission instead of allowing the mission to inform their marriage. They let their wants, dreams, and resources determine how they spend and invest their lives. Y’all have said you want to surrender all of yourselves, including your marriage, to Jesus. When you’re both giving your lives to Jesus, you will gradually and continually give your life to other believers and for the mission of God. You will reflect submission and sacrifice, and you will reflect Jesus. God will use your marriage for the sake of the Church’s growth and for the cause of making disciples.

But there are sweet benefits to this. When your marriage is being used by God as a provision for His Church and the world, petty arguments seem less important. Fighting over towels, piles of clothes, the trash, which restaurant to try on date night…don’t matter as much. Everything seems to be seen more appropriately.

1. Because of this^, it becomes easier to love + serve each other, even when you don’t feel like it.

2. Over time, you will more quickly remember you are teammates.

When problems surface, it’s both of you against the issues, not against each other.

3. You will fight for the diversity and individuality of your spouse,

because you need their gifts and differences to faithfully serve others.

In Conclusion,

When you remember…

marriage is a provision from God for you,

it will help you to be grateful + to daily surrender your marriage to God.

marriage is a provision from God for your spouse,

it will help you to be sacrificial + to daily utilize your marriage to serve your spouse.

marriage is a provision from God for the Church + the world,

it’ll help you live for what’s eternal + to daily invest your marriage in God’s mission.

You’ll both flourish, you’ll benefit the flourishing of those around you, + God will be glorified.