Part 3 - First Comes Love... Series

The Home as God Intended

Part 3 – First Comes Love

Rev. Bruce A. Shields

First Baptist Church of Tawas City Michigan

www.TawasBaptist.org

WELCOME

PRAYER

We are continuing our series on discovering the home as God intended it to be.

Last week we discussed how all of the benefits, blessings and disciplines in the scriptures pivot on your salvation.

We also talked about true conversion, and how we can be sure that we have accepted Christ for the reason He died for us, because we have sinned against God.

And it is God’s law that shows us our sin and need for salvation, and Christ who has become that sacrifice so that whosoever believes on Him, will be saved.

This week we are going to talk about marriage.

Salvation is really the pre-requisite of marriage, because marriage is an institution by God, and was created to include God.

It’s not just a man and woman making a commitment to each other.

A marriage is a covenant between two people and God.

This is why God hates divorce, because you have broken a covenant with Him.

By the way, to those who believe that divorce is worse than anything else we do against God in our lives, you’re mistaken.

Yes God hates divorce, but it is not worse than any other sin against God, and it can be forgiven.

The scriptures tell us that the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

There are many reasons people get divorced today.

Some are legitimate, such as adultery, perversion or physical or other natured abuse toward the spouse or children.

When we make a covenant with God, and say “for better or worse.” That does not mean God expects someone to stay in a relationship where their life, or the lives of their children, are in danger.

But God warns us of this when He tells us “not to be unequally yoked.”

But God has to be part of that covenant for there to be a covenant.

Two pagans who marry are not going to be able to apply the biblical principals of marriage and expect to see positive results because God is not part of that union.

God did not bring those two together.

As far as God is concerned, no marriage ever took place because God was not part of it.

And He has to be for there to be a marriage.

Today, we do not take the institution of marriage seriously.

Households headed by unmarried couples grew by almost 72% during the last decade.

Households headed by single mothers increased by more than 25% and those led by single fathers grew by almost 62%.

1/3 of all babies were born to unmarried women.

That’s 33% compared to only 3.8% in 1940.

Living together without being married increased 1000% from 1960 to 1998.

This is not what God had in mind when He created the family unit.

This is not God’s plan.

Jesus tells us “A house divided can not stand.”

Now we see our families and our houses falling.

For God’s principals to apply to our lives and our households, we need to be living the structure God intended us to have.

What does God say constitutes a family or house?

1. A man shall unite unto his wife.

Genesis 2:24

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”

Do you see here how God does not expect you to divorce?

How can you separate one flesh?

This union is usually represented in marriages by the bride and groom lighting a unity candle.

And just as you cannot separate the two flames once they light the unity candle, so is marriage.

This is the seriousness that needs to be taken about marriage.

This verse is teaching commitment and dedication, not just shacking up.

Many people today seem to be lacking commitment and responsibility.

The marriage is so important; it must come even before your mother and father!

I have some friends; back in school we called them mama’s boys.

Guess what; when you get married there is no more mamas’ boy!

You have become ONE with your wife.

It’s time to cut that umbilical cord.

It’s time to grow a backbone, stand up tall and be the godly man of your house that God has created you to be.

Do you know why we had the women’s movement in America?

Women’s Lib is men’s fault.

If women were being treated in the way God instructs us to treat them, women would have never felt the need to revolt against a male dominating society which tells them they are not important, but an object owned just as you own your house or car, and that you are “THE MAN OF THE HOUSE”, “KING OF THE CASTLE”, while you live by the worlds standards as opposed to God’s, well guess what,