Garrison and Bryleigh Wedding

Introduction

In my opinion, there is not a more beautiful picture of God then the picture of marriage. We gather, we cry, we laugh, and we love because of the beauty of marriage. Marriage is great for those outside of Christ, but when we look at marriage through the eyes of Christ, there is nothing but beautiful symbolism. In Marriage alone we see Expectancy, Submission, Surrender, God’s Covenant, and Unending love. We will look at all of these today.

Expectancy

The first symbol is expectancy. Many of you were watching Erin as she just walked down the aisle. I don’t blame you, she was absolutely stunning and this day is something she has pt much work in today. But at all the weddings I attend, I do not look at the bride first as she walks down the aisle. My eyes goes to the groom. As Cade stood here with tears in his eyes. The moment he has longed for was finally here. Those doors split open and His eyes were glued to the bride. He will never again experience the excitement and greatness of this moment. What he loves and admires most has finally come.

Revelation 19:6–8 NIV

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

If Cade, in his body that is under the weight of sin is able to feel such great joy. How much better will it be on that day that Christ sees us, the church, the bride, ushered into His kingdom. Amen. What a picture.

Submission

Now you guys may hear the word submission and think that I am about to ask us to turn to Ephesians and talk about the verse everyone loves and how wives shoud submit to their husbands, well Im not. Right now I am talking to you Mark and Evonne. Mark you are holding your baby girls hand right now, and if all goes as planned, she will be holding the hand of Cade here very shortly. When she first came out of the womb and you saw that princess’ eyes, you may have thought like I do, right now with my baby girl, no man will ever be good enough and I will never let go of this hand. But we all see how that has turned out? This picture of Christ in marriage is also one of my favorites.

In Matthew we see Jesus the night before He is crucified and he is facing what He has known was coming all along, just as You Mark knew this day would one day come. It says this.

Matthew 26:39 NIV

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Now having your daughter have such a great guy like Cade is none the same as a crucifixion, I know. But nonetheless, it is difficult. Do you ever wander why Christ was able to submit to the Father’s will? It was because of His great confidence that God would provide. That He would make a way. Ladies and gentleman, do you know why Mark and Evonne are able to submit their daughter’s hand into Cade’s right now? Because they know He will provide, protect, and Love their daughter.

Now who is it that gives this woman to this man?

David Replies

Surrender (Vows)

The next picture in marriage is the picture of Surrender. It has been a joy and a privilege for Rachel and I to be involved in the lives of both Cade and Erin. Cade has been absolutely smitten from the first time he saw Erin. I basically had to laso him from the very beginning. But through time it was clear to see that his emphatuation with her turned to admiration and love. He learned to respect her and love her well. I tell guys all the time, if you arent ready to lead her to christ in dating then you arent ready for marriage. He was clearly doing this. Erin is like a ray of sunshine in every room she walks into. Everything she touches she makes better. She is a strong woman and is everything that Cade needs in a reltationship and vice versa.

But you know what is the most beautiful thing about these two? They are surrendered to Christ before they are surrendered to each other. Scripture tells a couple things. First in Ephesians 1 it says this.

Ephesians 1:22–23 NIV

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Jesus is the head of the church, and WE ARE HIS BODY! Everything we do should be surrendered to him. Your marriage and your vows are ONLY as good as the foundation that it is placed on. And the most solid foundation you will find in this world is Jesus.

Second only after Paul had established what he meant by submission, he says in chapter 5 this.

Ephesians 5:21–24 NIV

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

This is such a hard passage for so many, and I implore that the reason it is so hard for them to understand is because they have never understood submission to Christ. The issue is not surrendering to the husband, the issue is surrendering to Christ. The verse is clear that Erin, you now become a part of Cade’s body. It is not Cade as one independent body ruling over Erin as one independent body, it is Cade and Erin, one body, surrendered to one another and surrender to Christ. This surrender is not just for a moment, but it is a lifelong surrender and we see that picture in your vows.

none READS PERSONAL VOW

none READS PERSONAL VOW

Cade repeat after me.

"I, Cade, take you, Erin,

to be my wife

, and these things I promise you:

I will be faithful to you and honest with you;

I will respect, trust, help, and care for you;

I will share my life with you;

I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;

through the best and worst of what is to come,

and as long as we live."

I will place God first and you second.

As Christ’s love is inseparable from me

My love is inseparable from you.

Erin repeat after me.

"I,Erin, take you, Cade,

to be my husband

, and these things I promise you:

I will be faithful to you and honest with you;

I will respect, trust, help, and care for you;

I will share my life with you;

I will forgive you as we have been forgiven;

through the best and worst of what is to come,

and as long as we live."

I will place God first and you second.

As Christ’s love is inseparable from me

My love is inseparable from you.

God’s covenant (Rings and Prayer)

In the old Testament, Abram had been following after God but had certainly been through the fire. God had promised he would make him a great nation, yet none of that was to be seen yet. Then God makes a covenant with Abram. Its not just the covenant that it is beautiful. It was how the covenant was made. In those days they would take certain animals cut them in half and walk in a circle between them. This was to say, If I break this covenant, may this also happen to me. Abram prepares this ceremony and right before it is time to pass through, God causes him to fall unconscious and God passes through instead of Abram. It was as if God was saying, man can make covenants all they want and they can be broken, but the covenant I make can never be broken. As humans we make covenants in marriages and more and more these covenants get broken. When you focus only on self and happiness this covenant will fall short. The goal of marriage isn’t happiness. it’s holiness. Make this covenant with each other and the Lord. keep your eyes on him and this covenant will not be broken.

Let’s take the rings.

Cade Repeat after me

With this ring, I thee wed

It is a sign of the covenant God has made with me

and I now make this Holy Covenant with you

Erin Repeat after me

With this ring, I thee wed

It is a sign of the covenant God has made with me

and I now make this Holy Covenant with you

PRAYER

Unity SAND

Worship Song

Unending Love

Now, for the best picture and the best part, UNENDING LOVE! Cade you may now kiss your bride.

God looks on us and no matter what we do, no matter how we act, no matter when we drop the ball, He loves us with an unending love. You two have now been joined together. Paul says this of those who believe in Christ.

Romans 8:31–39 NIV

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Cade and Erin, just as you can never be separated from the love of Christ, may your love never be separated from each other.

Ladies and Gentleman, I now introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Cade Causey.