Introduction

Good morning, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Today, we gather together to explore a truly remarkable passage from the book of Ezra that speaks directly to our relationships, our marriages, and our spiritual lives. Our sermon today is centered on the Betrothal of Believers to Christ, the Danger of Marrying Unbelievers, and the Blessing of Marrying Believers.

As the famous Christian author C.S. Lewis once wrote, "When souls become transparent to one another, it is because they are already transparent to God." This quote beautifully captures the essence of the message we will be delving into today.

Our Scripture passage comes from Ezra 10:10, which reads:

Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, 'You have been unfaithful, and have married foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel.'

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before You today with open hearts and minds, eager to learn more about Your word and Your will for our lives. As we study this passage from the book of Ezra, we ask that You would give us insight and wisdom to understand the truth You have laid out before us. May we grow in our love for You and for one another. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

The Betrothal of Believers to Christ

As followers of Jesus, we are called to have a personal, intimate relationship with our Savior. This idea is rooted in the biblical understanding of marriage as a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, which serves as a reflection of the even deeper and more significant covenant that exists between Christ and His Church.

In the ancient world, betrothal was a formal and binding agreement between two families, signifying that a man and a woman were set apart for one another and committed to entering into a lifelong union. This commitment was so strong that it could only be broken through a legal process akin to divorce. In a similar way, when we come to faith in Christ, we enter into a covenant relationship with Him, pledging our love, loyalty, and devotion to Him above all else.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, draws a direct parallel between the relationship between a husband and wife and the relationship between Christ and His Church. In Ephesians 5:25-27, Paul writes, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." This passage highlights the sacrificial love that Christ has for His Church, as well as the transformative power of His love in making us holy and blameless before Him.

The betrothal of believers to Christ is not only a powerful metaphor for our relationship with Jesus, but it also carries practical implications for how we live our lives and interact with others. As those who are betrothed to Christ, we are called to live lives of purity, holiness, and devotion to our Lord. This means that we must be diligent in guarding our hearts and minds against anything that would seek to draw us away from our commitment to Christ, including the allure of worldly pleasures and the temptation to compromise our faith for the sake of fitting in with the culture around us.

Furthermore, the betrothal of believers to Christ also has significant implications for our relationships with others, particularly when it comes to the topic of marriage. As those who are set apart for Christ, we must be careful to choose spouses who share our commitment to following Jesus and who will support and encourage us in our walk with Him. We should be intentional in seeking out partners who will help us to grow in our faith and who will honor and uphold the sacred covenant of marriage as a reflection of our relationship with Christ.

Our betrothal to Christ gives a beautiful picture of the love, grace, and mercy that Jesus extends to us as His beloved. Just as a bridegroom in the ancient world would go to great lengths to prepare a place for his bride and to ensure her safety and well-being, so too does Christ go to great lengths to care for and protect His Church. In John 14:2-3, Jesus tells His disciples, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." We have eternal security and hope in Christ. There is no end to which He wouldn’t go to secure our salvation and to prepare a place for us in His eternal kingdom.

The Danger of Marrying Unbelievers

The boundaries around marriage have been discussed and debated throughout the history of the church ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO