A Marriage Made In Paradise Series

Keeping the Home Fire Burning Series

A MARRIAGE MADE IN PARADISE

Gen. 2:18-25

Intro

Some of you might have heard the expression "a marriage made in Heaven." But, does such an thing exist? Is there such a thing as a perfect marriage? Probably not! However, there was, at one time, a marriage that was made in paradise. In the text we have just read, we are given the details of the very first wedding. When this took place, there was no sin in the world and everything was perfect. The marriage rate was 100% and the divorce rate was 0%. Then the fall came and sin entered the world; and with sin came all the problems and wretchedness. With these problems, came trouble at home. Oh, there are many who claim that they "never speak a harsh word." Either they are screaming too loud for the words to be coherent, or they are just plain liars! The truth is, in many cases, marriage resembles a battlefield more than it does a union of 2 lovers.

Consider these facts. In this century, the divorce rate has risen over 700%. In 1960, there were 393,000 divorces. Now, there are over 1.2 million per year, and the rate is rising! Now, there is one divorce for every 1.8 marriages. Over one million children in America will be involved in a divorce case. Of course, there are some sociologists who say that we can expect to see a decline in the divorce rate in the near future. Is this because people are developing better social skills and are learning how to communicate and work through their problems more productively? No! They just aren’t getting married. They are living together instead. Either way, it is a far cry from what the Lord intended!

Tonight, I want us to look into these verses and think for a while about A Marriage Made in Paradise. In this passage, God reveals His intentions concerning marriage and His goals for the married couple. The principles taught here will go a long way in helping to divorce proof our marriages. Let’s take a few minutes this evening to look into this text and see for ourselves what makes a marriage made in paradise.

I. THE LORD’S INTENTION (v. 18)

A. The Lord’s Concern

• The Garden of Eden was a place of unspeakable beauty and wonder.

o It was a perfect place where God, man and the animal kingdom enjoyed perfect peace and harmony.

o In fact, looking back on the Lord’s creative efforts in chapter 1, it is clear that the Lord thought it was good as well.

• When God looked at His handiwork, He declared it all good until He looked at Adam and saw that Adam was the only one of his kind.

o This, God said, was not good.

o Man had no counterpart.

B. The Lord’s Conclusion

• When the Lord surveyed the situation, His decision was to produce a "help" for Adam.

o This word means, "One who assists another to reach fulfillment."

o It speaks of the idea of a "completer".

o The word "meet" refers to one who "is suitable to, or corresponds to."

o In other words, God is going to give Adam someone who will fill up that which is lacking in his own life.

o One who makes him complete.

• This is one of the benefits of marriage.

o The husband and the wife compliment one another.

o Men are right brain creatures.

 We like to analyze things and come to conclusions about stuff.

 We like to figure it out.

 I mean just call it like it is and never for one minute try to see any other side of the story.

 If we are going to look at something from a left brained approach, we have to stop using the right side of the brain and we are left without any reasoning ability whatsoever.

o Women, on the other hand, have been gifted by God to be able to use both sides of their brains simultaneously.

 They can see both sides of the coin at the same time.

 A fact that makes them very helpful in figuring out things.

o If there were only men, there would be little compassion, little understanding and little caring.

o Women make up that which we too often lack.

o When they come along with their left brains firing on all cylinders and point out how narrow we are and what we are refusing to see, then, it become clear that they have made us complete and given us an insight that we otherwise would never have had.

• God’s intention in making woman was to compliment and complete the man. By the way, it still works that way today.