4 Keys To A Successful Marriage

Source: www.sermonnotes.com

Intimacy is more than just a physical act. Intimate physical relations outside of marriage break the bonds that hold a marriage together. Although it is not impossible, very few marriages fully recover from infidelity.

2. The second key to a successful marriage is to be committed to a faithful relationship.

3. The third key to a successful marriage is to be committed to a cooperative relationship.

When I say cooperative, I mean being a team player. Each person, husband and wife, must do their part. Cooperation means that each person is willing and committed to fulfilling their God-given role and responsibilities within the marriage. A football team in which every player tried to be the quarterback would not be successful; each team member must fulfill the position or role that the coach assigns them in order to be successful. It is the same with marriage. No marriage is going to be fully successful unless both husband and wife cooperate by listening to our leader or coach, Jesus Christ, and fulfilling the role he has given us.

What does the Bible say are the responsibilities of the husband and wife? I do not have time to elaborate extensively on the subject so let me give you a summary of each spouse’s responsibilities according to the Bible along with scripture references.

First, husbands you are to "love your wives even as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." (Ephesians 5:25) This means husbands are to be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to meet the needs of the wife. Second, husbands are to be "considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect. . ." (1 Peter 3:7) In other words do not be a self-seeking dictator, making demands of your wife but respect her as a gift from God made in his image and co-heir with Christ. Some husbands seem to treat their pet dogs with more affection and attention than they do their wives. Third, husbands are to be gentle with their wives. (Colossians 3:19) In other words, husbands don’t make your wife cry unless it is with tears of joy.

3. The third key to a successful marriage is to be committed to a cooperative relationship.

Wives you have a part to play also in this cooperative relationship. First you need to be supportive of your husbands. Genesis 2:20 tells us that God created Eve to be a helper for Adam. She was to be someone there to support him. A husband needs to know that his wife will support him no matter what, not criticizing and undermining his plans. Second, wives are to be submissive to their husbands. (1 Peter 3:1, Colossians 3:18, Ephesians 5:22) Being submissiveness means letting your husband take a leadership role in the marriage without resistance. Remember only one person can be quarterback. The coach decides who that will be and will deal with it if the husband is making bad decisions.

So far we’ve covered three keys to successful marriage

1. The first key to a successful marriage is to be committed to a permanent relationship.

2. The second key to a successful marriage is to be committed to a faithful relationship.