Noah And Courtney’s Wedding

Noah and Courtney - there is a song we sing at church – a remake of an old hymn written by William Cowper. The song I’m talking about is “God Moves” and you remember how it goes: “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform, He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Deep in His dark and hidden mines, with never failing skill, He fashions all His bright designs and works His sovereign will. Oh God, we trust in You.”

It’s one of my favorite songs because it points so clearly to the Sovereignty of God – massively important doctrine the Bible teaches from beginning to end – the doctrine that God is in absolute control of EVERYTHING that happens in the entire universe. There is no planet, no person, no atom that moves outside of the permission of God, Who uses it all – even the free choices of His enemies – to work out His good plan.

Isaiah 46:9-10, “I am God and there is no other, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying: “My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose.”

Ephesians 1:11, “In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

So, if I were to ask you, ‘Why are you here today?’, I wonder what you would say?

“Are you kidding me?!! We were afraid this day wasn’t going to happen at all! Why are you even asking that question?!”

Courtney says, ‘We are here because I am finally old enough and Noah had the good sense to realize what he was getting in me – so he asked me to marry him.”

Noah doesn’t disagree, I’m sure.

But the reason you are here today, goes back farther than the day Noah got down on one knee and asked you to be his wife. Do you realize everything that had to fall perfectly into place for you to be here as a couple – preparing to spend the rest of your lives together?

Courtney, you wouldn’t be here if a friend, who just happens to attend our church, hadn’t invited you to our church family camp when you were just hitting your teen years.

But that’s not ultimately the reason you are here. You need to go back further than that. You wouldn’t be here today if your parents hadn’t decided to raise their family in Abbotsford.

And let me tell you, that was NOT a given.

Courtney, for you to be here right now – your mom and dad had to find each other. Your mom grew up here in Abbotsford – your dad was minding his own business in Texas. Your mom didn’t want to go to Texas. Your aunt went to Bible school there and your mom was tired of following in her big sister’s footsteps. She could have gone anywhere in the world.

She didn’t end up deciding to go to Texas, after all, until the year had already started. And your dad was going to university – he had to change his mind half way through a school year and end up at the same school as your mom. And when they found each other – your dad had to decide to leave the great state of Texas … and move to humble Abbotsford, in far off BC.

I grew up in Richmond – I knew about Abbotsford from the time I was a kid – it was the farm country we would drive THROUGH – on summer holidays – on our way to somewhere exciting.

When it seemed like Pastoral ministry was the direction the LORD was leading me – I remember consciously thinking – I will pastor – but NOT in Abbotsford. There are so many churches there already – the place doesn’t need me … and I’m not even a Mennonite.

And why would I raise a family there? My kids might start listening to country music … what would I do if, God forbid, they ended up getting married in a barn!

But here we are … do you see how many things God had to put together – when nobody was planning for his … God was directing the course of so many lives.

GOD MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY – HIS WONDERS TO PERFORM.

The story didn’t begin with your parents though – the Bible says that God chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Before the sun or a single star was spoken – God knew you, Courtney. He knew you, Noah – He knew your sins and failures – and it was THEN – that He chose to send Jesus to live and die and rise again to save you … It was THEN that He chose to lead you, to put your trust in Jesus’ finished work.

Since that point, your Heavenly Father has been guiding the course of history to work out your good. It was who guided the decisions of parents and grandparents and so on – to put you in the same town, to save you both and to bring you together.

AND THAT’S WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY. God’s sovereignty at work. GOD MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY.

And the reason I make such a big deal about this – is because YOU’RE GOING TO NEED that rock solid assurance in the days ahead.

This is a special day … a day you’ve been dreaming about for years. It’s perfect … even this barn is perfect. But you already know that married life is not always going to be perfect.

That’s because each of you is marrying a sinner. And each of you is going to hurt and BE hurt by each other.

Courtney, you have been the only girl in your family – you haven’t had to share many things lately. Now you have this guy moving into your neat and tidy, well-organized place. Let me tell you, I’ve seen his bathroom – and things aren’t going to remain neat and tidy for long – not without work on your part. And that’s going to bug you sometimes.

Noah, one of Courtney’s great, most-endearing attributes, is her cheery talkative nature. But at 6 am, when you just want quiet and a cup of coffee …the cheeriness may not seem so cheery.

Sometimes you will bother each other unintentionally; sometimes you will sin against each other. And it’s when the hurts start piling up that so many couples throw in the towel and split.

We want more for you than that … SO much more. So what will keep you from quitting? First of all, recognizing Who brought you together. This is no accident – God worked through history to get you two … here. So recognize the Divine call on your lives. If God has called you two together, then He also has a purpose for your marriage. And He doesn’t leave us guessing about what that purpose is:

Ephesians 2:22 tells us about that purpose:

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

And secondly, that means if you want God’s best in your marriage, build it on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ.

Noah, you were given your name on purpose. Not just because it sounded cool and was pretty rare at the time … you were give your name because your mother and I longed for your character to resemble that of the great man of faith – the biblical Noah, who trusted and followed God, even when the whole world was living in rebellion.

He was godly, when godliness wasn’t cool. Be THAT man – put Jesus Christ first in your life and lead from that strength in your marriage …

Listen to Ephesians 5:25, Paul tells us that,

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Love Courtney like that.

If you both will trust in the God Who brought you together for a purpose … and build your marriage on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ … then no matter the challenges that lie ahead – and we have no idea what they are … then, through Jesus Christ, is kind of love - - then you will be a mansion of glory in which the Holy Spirit will delight to live.