Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome

Seat Everyone

Friends, we have come today at the invitation of Logan and Sydney to share in the joy of their wedding.

This outward celebration we shall see and hear is an expression of the inner love and devotion they have in their hearts.

Who gives this woman to be married to this man?

Charge To the Couple

Jesus Christ reminds us that at the beginning the Creator made us male and female, and said, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

As I’ve counseled Logan and Sydney we’ve discussed many things, all of which could be summed up into what has been called the 4 laws of marriage.

Now this is not an exhaustive list, but one which I believe can be backed up Biblically.

1. Law of Priority:

Gen. 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife…” There is a shifting going on in this text, a shifting of loyalty, a shifting of priority.

Leaving your parents home and rule, and establishing your own.

There still is love and respect for your families, but your main priority is to God and secondly, to one another.

Now we prove what has priority in our life by how we live.

Sacrifice

Time

Energy

Your priorities must be guarded.

So keep close watch

2. Law of Pursuit:

Gen. 2:24 again, the man “is joined to his wife, or hold’s fast to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

Never stop “pursuing” one another.

What happens so often in human nature is that we pursue and pursue and pursue, until we finally get what we want.

Then laziness sets in.

We feel like we don’t need to work at the relationship any more.

Absolutely false!

Marriage is like muscle tissue – you must keep exercising it.

It has been said that if studying your spouse before marriage were equivalent to a High School Diploma, then in marriage you should continue studying them until you’ve earned a college degree, then a Master’s, then a doctorate.

Date one another.

Cultivate an atmosphere of continually learning about each other.

Never stop pursuing one another.

3. Law of Possession:

We just read from Gen. 2:24 where “the two are united into one.”

However, in verses 22-23, we see mans first reaction to meeting this woman.

We see Adam meeting Eve for the first time and here is what happens, “Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

‘At Last!’ the man exclaimed.

‘This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!

She will be called woman, because she was taken from man.’” Adam’s charge from God before the creation of Eve was to tend the garden, to cultivate it.

He was given the responsibility of naming God’s creatures.

As he is doing this, God brings Eve to him, she catches his eye, and Adam busts in to song!

In fact, what really was happening in Adam’s heart in that moment was that he saw Eve and said, “That’s Mine!”

This law of possession is not one of dominance and control, but one of understanding that, we fit together, that we belong together.

This law not only concerns the physical union, but that marriage is a complete union in which all things previously owned and managed individually are now owned jointly.

You have to change your vocabulary from “mine” and “yours” to one word: “ours.”

4. Law of Purity:

Gen. 2:25, “Now the man and woman were both naked, but they felt no shame.”

Marriage is designed to be a place where nothing is hidden from one another: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

There should be an openness and honesty that comes in marriage.

Where nothing should be hidden, and both trust in each other.

Sydney, in Prov.

31 Solomon talks about an “excellent wife…who can find her?

They are more precious than jewels.”

“She speaks in wisdom, strength and dignity are her clothing, and the heart of her husband trusts in her.”

Now we live in a fallen, broken world.

There is shame today.

Where Adam and Eve were unashamed at their first encounter, the moment they rebelled against God, shame was ushered in.

That perfect marriage was fractured.

We stand here today, imperfect people.

We stand here today as sinners.

In your marriage mistakes will be made.

Feelings will be hurt; pain will be felt.

It is the world in which we live.

So, understand that your sin will affect the other person and then,

Take responsibility for your own sin and actions.

Seek forgiveness.

Repent.

Grant forgiveness.

And then find hope in this.

Rom.

8:1, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

You both profess to be Christians, so you belong to Jesus.

You are his possession.

You both have been forgiven.

You both do not stand condemned, but loved.

The greatest hope in life is in Jesus and your marriage should reflect that.

Much of this falls on the husband to lead out in the home.

Logan, lead in the home, not in a domineering or controlling way, but love Sydney.

Logan, in 1 Peter 3 it talks about how the husband is to show honor to his wife as the “weaker vessel.”

Meaning you are to treat Sydney like you would treat porcelain.

You’re gentle with porcelain, you don’t treat it harshly.

Don’t treat Sydney like one of the guys.

This is your command from Scripture on how you are to handle your wife.

In our times together we also saw in Ephesians 5, where husbands are told to love their wives, just as Jesus loved the church and gave himself up for her.

There has been no greater illustration of love than what Jesus demonstrated for his church.

He pursued with relentless ferocity and passion and willingly gave up his life for her, so that all who believe might find eternal life in Jesus!

There is no greater weight placed on the husband than the command to love his wife like Jesus loved the church.

Marriage then, is a “commitment to the responsibility of loving.”

Where there is no responsibility there is selfishness, and we are told in I Cor 13 that love “does not seek its own.”

Today I ask you Logan and Sydney - are you here to make this “commitment of responsibility to love” before God and these witnesses?

Prayer

Father, for the joy of this occasion we thank you.

For the significance of this wedding day we thank you.

For this important moment in an ever growing relationship we thank you.

For your presence here and now and for your presence at all times, we thank you.

God, grant them everything they need, that they may increase in their knowledge of You throughout their life together.

May the good news of the gospel so saturate their marriage that they become a reflection to the world of the love of Jesus for all.

Empower Logan by the Holy Spirit to love and lead Sydney as Jesus loved the church.

Empower Sydney by the Holy Spirit to respect Logan and to be the wife that speaks in wisdom, where strength and dignity are her clothing.

In Christ's holy name.

Amen.